UB History Students Tour the White House

Eugene "Sonny" Moxley, Nicole Hudgins, Monique Koch, and Marshall Odell in front of the White House
Eugene “Sonny” Moxley, Nicole Hudgins, Monique Koch, and Marshall Odell in front of the White House

With a little help from the “inside” (UB alum Jake Rotter, a White House intern), three UB History students and Professor Hudgins got on the list of visitors to tour the East Wing on Saturday, January 17.  We all had to get security clearance beforehand and meet the Secret Service officers promptly at our 9:30am time slot on what was thankfully a sunny Saturday morning!  The officers also act as stationed tour guides, answering visitors’ questions about the Vermeil Room, the Blue Room, Red Room, Green Room, East Room, and more.

Every room is filled with presidential and first lady portraits, beautiful period desks, and antique clocks, books, or figurines.  Did you know that the First Lady need not be the president’s wife?  A couple of our presidents were not married at the time of their administration, and chose a woman to be in charge of the White House social calendar!  Professor Hudgins was also impressed with the array of beautiful chandeliers adorning the rooms.

After a latte break nearby, our group headed to the White House Visitors Center, which is well-worth a visit.  Formerly our national Patent Library, this lovely hall is now full of interesting White House, presidential, and first lady facts and artifacts (don’t miss the video, broadcast at the far end of the hall).  Did you know that Caroline Harrison used her influence to raise funds to establish the Johns Hopkins Medical School, on the condition that the school admit women?

Some of us went on afterwards to Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street (est. 1958), which was packed full of people lined up for Ben’s famous chili dogs and milkshakes.  We agreed that this was the perfect cap to a fascinating day in D.C.

Shows cross-section of entire East Wing of the White House
Cross-section of the entire East Wing of the White House

 

 

 

2 thoughts on “UB History Students Tour the White House

  1. I did not go onto Ben’s Chili Bowl that day, but instead lingered in the Visitor’s Center. While in the gift shop, I came upon a section of prints or small posters (9.5” x 14”) that included many of the portraits we saw in the White House collection. At only one dollar a print I almost went home with one of each of them but instead I bought only one – a favorite of my wife’s – the official portrait of JFK by Aaron Shikler. The actual painting was hanging in the Cross Hall just outside of the State Dining Room and the Red Room. If you are not familiar with it, the portrait is strikingly different from the others, as requested by Jackie Kennedy. His head is tilted down so that his face is obstructed, his eyes are not visible; additionally the background and much of his body are hazy. Although controversial, this seems fitting for the well-loved leader who was cut down in the prime of his life, in the middle of his presidency. What might he have accomplished if he had lived and recovered from the tragedy? Here is more on the portrait of our 35th president.

    Thanks to Jake and Professor Hudgins. This tour is something that I have always wanted to do. It was a good day with great company.

    Sonny Moxley

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