Presenting Christy Huddleston (my daughter), Isabella Hagnar (me), and Captain Eddie Rickenbacker (my son).
MEET ISABELLA HAGNER, NAPOLEON OF THE WHITE HOUSE
I began the presentation by welcoming everyone to the White House, since I was Isabella Hanger, the first social secretary of the White House.
She asked the guests if they liked the name the president had bestowed on the lovely Executive Mansion.
“Since every state had an Executive Mansion” Mr. Theodore Roosevelt, exclaimed, “it should be called the White House!”
Isabella was called Belle by everyone she knew personally.
However, the newspaper, to her chagrin, called her the Napoleon of the White House.
PREPARATION TO BECOME FIRST SOCIAL SECRETARY OF THE WHITE HOUSE
As a child she had played on Lafayette Square.
Being of the upper class, she was educated in the way of a lady until her parents died when she was 16.
Suddenly left to support her three younger brothers, they survived with the “Lord’s guiding hand.”
Belle drew on her social skills since jobs for women were quite limited.
While officially working as clerk for the War Department, she earned extra money helping fine ladies organize their social receptions.
When Mrs. Edith Roosevelt suddenly became first lady after the McKinley assassination, she asked for recommendations for a social secretary, a position that had never been held at the White House.
President Roosevelt’s sister highly recommended Belle, who became the first social secretary of the White House.
Although the newspapers made it seem that she ousted other employees, she got along famously with all, took direction well, paid close attention to details, and had an outgoing and fun personality, all of which were a perfect fit for her and the Roosevelts.
EFFICIENTLY RUNNING SOCIAL MATTERS OF THE WHITE HOUSE
{{{I set up my desk to represent Belle’s desk, organized with piles of correspondence.}}}
She collected all the mail and organized everything.
Political matters went to the proper entities.
Condolences for the death of President McKinley were forwarded to the family.
Congratulations for the Roosevelts on their entrance to the White House was shared and responded to as Mrs. Roosevelt directed Belle.
Most puzzling was the plethora of personal requests from the general public who hoped Mrs. Roosevelt would solve their personal dilemmas.
Such items were handled with great tact, although there was nothing Mrs. Roosevelt could do.
Belle also helped organize social events, although in 1901, there were no formal events since the White House was officially mourning McKinley’s death.
There were, however, teas for Mrs. Roosevelt at which Belle poured the tea.
Mr. Roosevelt had luncheons to conduct business and meet with friends.
1902 began the busy social season.
Belle initially made a list of guests which she then shared with Mrs. Roosevelt, who would make any changes as needed.
Then Belle used her beautiful handwriting, from her years of training as a lady, to write the official White House invitations.
She also organized the seating arrangements.
It was important for her to understand the various personalities so that talkers could draw out the quiet ones, but she was careful not to seat together those who didn’t quite get along.
She attended these social events to ensure everyone was having a good time, to introduce people, and to make sure that everything flowed.
DANCING FAUX PAS FUN
One night her dancing classes in her younger years proved especially useful.
While she was dancing with a dignitary, he tripped and fell, bringing her crashing down on top of him.
With a flourish Belle made it look like a new dance move, while he untangled himself from her long red velvet skirts with a big smile on his face.
ROOSEVELT RUMORS TRUE – THEY ARE FUN
Belle also shared how the Roosevelts spent time with the children each evening either reading to them or letting the children read to them.
Books were quite important to the Roosevelts, and they were well read.
Soon after moving into the White House, the children chased their father through the house and up the stairs, uproariously laughing, because Mr. Roosevelt was in fact chasing his wife, who was gleefully leading the charge!
Possibly one of Belle’s most difficult duties was her time on the telephone while she was sitting at her desk.
Two of the children, Ethel and Kermit, would crawl in and sneak under her chair to tickle her ankles.
Being on the phone with someone of importance, Belle certainly couldn’t giggle or reprimand the children, nor could she move her feet for fear of accidentally kicking them and injuring their teeth or eyes.
It was all in good humor and she could certainly laugh after she hung up the phone.
PROGRESSIVE DINNER
As the organizer of social events at the White House, Belle invited her guests to take part in some of the newest dinner games of the era.
The newest rage was the idea of a Progressive Dinner, where the gentlemen each gave his arm to escort one of the ladies from room to room, where different courses were served with fresh plates, silverware, and napkins.
While my son portrayed the butler, a guest asked why he was wearing a leather jacket while serving food.
I exclaimed that he aspired to one day become a pilot, likely influenced by the Wright Brothers who were currently busy with the task of making such flight a reality.
Later in the meal when this young butler added some provokingly deep thoughts, I interjected that the president liked how this young man learns a lot from reading many Great Books.
A popular Progressive Dinner game was to assign conversation topics to each course.
Belle provided envelopes for each course, inside which contained details of the course to be presented and the conversation topic.
DELI COURSE: PANZANELLA SALAD – IMMIGRATION
The Deli Course was Panzanella Salad on a Stick, served individually on our plates.
Since they were made of Italian ingredients, the topic of conversation was “immigration.”
HERB COURSE: NUTS – SMOKEY MOUNTAINS
The blue of the bowl reminded me of the lovely blue eyes of Fairlight Spencer, who met a young teacher named Christy Huddleston who came to her home of Cutter Gap, Tennessee, in the Smokey Mountains.
The topic was to hear the story of Christy, whom many people know from the television show and the book.
MEETING CHRISTY HUDDLESTON OF CUTTER GAP
Inspired by the true story of her mother, Catherine Marshall wrote the 1912 story of Christy, a missionary teacher to Appalachia, in the book Christy, later portrayed by Kellie Martin in a 1990s televesion series.
Leaving her high society life in Ashville, North Carolina, Christy told us of the lessons she learned while teaching the children of the mountains of Tennessee.
HUNTING COURSE: FILET MIGNON WITH ROASTED RASPBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE – THEODORE ROOSEVELT, THE HUNTER
Then we proceeded to the next room for the Hunting Course of Filet Mignon wrapped in Bacon with a side of Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. Of course we discussed President Roosevelt’s many hunting adventures!
NAUTICAL COURSE: ROASTED SCALLOPS WITH PINA COLADA SAUCE – GREAT WHITE FLEET
Then we promenaded to the Nautical Course of Roasted Scallops wrapped in Bacon served with non-alcoholic pina colada sauce. We discussed President Roosevelt’s most prized memory of his presidency, the Great White Fleet!
ASIAN COURSE: SMOKED SALMON SALAD – NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
The Asian Course included Smoked Salmon Salad with Asian Dressing, served with Spicy Won Ton Crisp.
We discussed relations with Asia, a newly opened continent after centuries of mystery.
We especially talked about President Roosevelt’s peace talks with the Russians and Japanese, which led to his being the first American awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
DESSERT COURSE: GINGERBREAD WITH LEMON CURD – GERMANY
Finally, the Dessert Course of Gingerbread with Lemon Curd!
We discussed the Kaiser and his tartness in relations, causing all the European countries to form various alliances with each other.
The Kaiser asked President Roosevelt to negotiate for his country, but Roosevelt subtly kept things most proper, to the consternation of the Kaiser.
We also discussed how Roosevelt’s daughter, Alice, christened the yacht of Prince Wilhem.
MEETING EDDIE RICKENBACKER – WWI FLYING ACE
All this talk of Germany led to talk of World War I, where we learned about Captain Edward Rickenbacker, the American Ace of Aces.
Rickenbacker’s name was originally pronounced in the German until the war, when he went to an Americanized pronunciation.
Before the war Rickenbacker was quite fascinated with cars, which he enjoyed racing and sending to the edge of their endurance, seemingly impractical experience which served him well as a World War I Flying Ace.
We learned a lot about the weaknesses of airplanes and how the pilots did their utmost to overcome negative odds.
One of the pilots he flew with was previously an ace with the Lafayette Esquadrille.
All of President Roosevelt’s sons fought in the war.
Quentin, the son described as being most like his father, became a pilot whom Rickenbacker knew.
Sadly, Quentin’s plane was hit and consumed in fire.
When the German’s discovered the body and realized who it was, out of honor to the Roosevelt family, they gave Quentin a funeral full of military honors.
With heavy heart, President Roosevelt died within a year after his son.
Later Mrs. Roosevelt flew to Europe to lay a special marker at her son’s grave.
Rickenbacker had many close calls himself but survived and participated in WWII as a civilian and was involved in many business ventures.
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
To prepare for his part, my son read Fighting the Flying Circus by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker.
My son was glued to this account and had more stories that he wanted to tell than he had time for in his presentation.
He’s been sharing more and more details over dinner, breakfast, lunch…
POETRY READINGS
“Captain Eddie Rickenbacker” closed his presentation by reading a few WWI poems: Here Dead We Lie by A E Houseman, Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen, A Soldier by Rupert Brooke, and In Flanders Fields by Lt. Col. John McCrae.
After all the sadness and heaviness, we ended the presentation on a lighter note, with “Christy” reading for us a poem that she read to her students in Cutter Gap…Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll.
