Joan Mondale came to visit Detroit during the 1984 election campaign. She was known as Joan of Art and we had arranged for her to do a tour of the school and to go over to the Scarab Club for a luncheon and a “beam signing”, something saved for special visitors.
We arranged a al fresco breakfast in the morning, followed by the tour and the lunch. I was the host and tour director.
A day or two before the visit I was visited by the Secret Service so we could walk the route. I was not prepared for such an event, as I did tours all the time and they seemed to just go along as I felt best. Suddenly, people with guns and badges were there wanting an exact route.
I understood their concern and planned it out as we went along. When we came to the walk to the Scarab Club, it stopped. They would not let Mrs. Mondale make that one block walk through midtown Detroit.
We arranged a al fresco breakfast in the morning, followed by the tour and the lunch. I was the host and tour director.
A day or two before the visit I was visited by the Secret Service so we could walk the route. I was not prepared for such an event, as I did tours all the time and they seemed to just go along as I felt best. Suddenly, people with guns and badges were there wanting an exact route.
I understood their concern and planned it out as we went along. When we came to the walk to the Scarab Club, it stopped. They would not let Mrs. Mondale make that one block walk through midtown Detroit.
It was all right for me to risk my life, but not Mrs. Mondale. Up to that point I had never considered this life risk.
In the morning, when I arrived, I was informed that the Governors wife, Paula Blanchard, had decided to join us. She was a very nice, diminutive woman who couldn’t eat too much so we were still set on breakfast! I could not arrange for her to sign the beam as she didn’t qualify as a big arts supporter at that time, but she understood. She would have somewhat of a backseat to the Vice-Presidential candidate’s wife.
At the breakfast, I suddenly realized what celebrity was. We were surrounded by cameras, reporters, TV cameras etc., all this while we ate breakfast and talked, pretending all this wasn’t going on. I was an innocent bystander thrust into the limelight.
The tour went as scheduled, the lunch and the beam signing went with flawless accuracy and it was a lovely day.
The next morning, my son Brian called from Ann Arbor. “Dad”, he said, “I saw you on television this morning with Mrs. Blanchard; you’re the biggest guy in the world!”
I suddenly felt like Godzilla!
In the morning, when I arrived, I was informed that the Governors wife, Paula Blanchard, had decided to join us. She was a very nice, diminutive woman who couldn’t eat too much so we were still set on breakfast! I could not arrange for her to sign the beam as she didn’t qualify as a big arts supporter at that time, but she understood. She would have somewhat of a backseat to the Vice-Presidential candidate’s wife.
At the breakfast, I suddenly realized what celebrity was. We were surrounded by cameras, reporters, TV cameras etc., all this while we ate breakfast and talked, pretending all this wasn’t going on. I was an innocent bystander thrust into the limelight.
The tour went as scheduled, the lunch and the beam signing went with flawless accuracy and it was a lovely day.
The next morning, my son Brian called from Ann Arbor. “Dad”, he said, “I saw you on television this morning with Mrs. Blanchard; you’re the biggest guy in the world!”
I suddenly felt like Godzilla!
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