Their wedding was filled with their friends from the White House. In the 1980s she met her future husband Robert Limerick, who worked as a White House engineer, when she measured him for his uniform. They offer them comfort at the end of their long days and, above all, they love their country and feel honored to work in its most famous home.Īnd my mind wandered to Executive Housekeeper Christine Limerick who worked at the White House for thirty-four years before retiring in 2008. He brightened their days.” On behalf of the entire Bush family, she said, “We thank God that James Ramsey was in our life.” These are not just people working for the family, these butlers become their lifeline. She told the congregation that Ramsey did more than pamper presidents. “They were my friends. . . “ When he passed away in 2014, Laura Bush delivered the euology at his funeral, traveling from Texas to Washington, D.C. “Jenna, Barbara-I loved them to death,” he told me.

African American Butler James Ramsey grew up in Yanceyville, North Carolina, and became close to the presidents and first ladies. In EXPLORING THE WHITE HOUSE: Inside America’s Most Famous Home I describe how the approximately 95 staffers, who stay on from one administration to the next, and their work as true American patriots. When we heard Amanda Gorman, the youngest poet ever to perform at an inauguration, passionately recite her beautiful poem, The Hill We Climb, I found myself thinking not about what was happening on stage – as compelling as it was – but about what was happening a mile-and-a-half away in the White House.Īs Gorman recited the lines,“…while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated,” I imagined the Residence staff from the White House Operations Department loading new mattresses and box springs into the elevator, the housekeepers expertly changing bedsheets, and the butlers making sure the family kitchen on the second floor is stocked with the Bidens’ favorite snacks.īecause while our eyes were trained on President Biden and the historic swearing in of Vice President Kamala Harris as the first woman, and the first woman of color ever to be vice president, a team of dedicated professionals was making sure that the peaceful transfer of power was happening seamlessly inside the White House.

Kate brower the residence