Homework Question on the White House
- Watch the video: Behind the Scenes in the East Wing: Social Secretaries to the First Ladies.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyHugsBg14 Or
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyHugsBg14
Complete the following questions:
- Why was there a challenge in the move-in date to the White House for Lyndon B and Lady Bird Johnson)?
- What are the names of the three Social Secretaries and who did they work for?
- What was most important to First Lady Reagan? (What did she always need to know?)
- What happened to the food in the White House in the aftermath of September 11, 2001?
- What was Bess Abell’s concern about the protesters of the Vietnam War who were outside the White House?
- According to Laurie Firestone, what did the First Gulf War cause to happen or not happen in the White House?
- Are White House Entertainers paid? If so, what?
- What were the crystal balls used for in Lyndon Johnson’s White House for which Bess Abell was the Social Secretary?
- What did Laurie Firestone have to say about how dress code changed in the White House during her four years?
- Who did Laurie Firestone refer to as the Talking Hat? Extra Credit 1. Who was the first President to host a white tie dinner (know not at the White House) since the Coolidge or Wilson Administrations?
Homework Answer on The White House
- Why was there a challenge in the move-in date to the White House for Lyndon B and Lady Bird Johnson)?
The White House, at that time, was managed by men. The president and his team had come from a trip from oversees in Europe; hence, moving in became a challenge for the two ladies. Mrs. Jonson wanted to reposition the doors to minimize interruption from other workers at Whitehouse – an initiative that did not work well. She had to intervene so that her social secretaries could move in.
- What are the names of the three Social Secretaries and who did they work for?
Bess Abell, Laurie Firestone and Catherine S. Fenton and they worked with the first ladies. Bess Abell worked for Mrs. Nixon, Catherine served Barbara Bush, while Laurie Firestone gloomed Mrs. Reagan.
- What was most important to First Lady Reagan? (What did she always need to know?)
She needed to know about every detail on her husband’s health status after he was shot. Therefore, her social secretary was responsible to inform and comfort her to heal from the traumatic situation.
- What happened to the food in the White House in the aftermath of September 11, 2001?
The desert prepared for the party was horrible because the chef created a house with flowers and integrated little sleeping workers’ images. The main course resembled the Mexican culture because the person preparing it was a French national. The first lady noticed the error and the trend had to be put to a halt. Every meal prepared at the White House was to portray the American culture henceforth.