Page 278 - Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows

THE EDUCATION PROGRAM

or week’s activities. The comments were fueled by the Diet Dr. Pepper the
president sipped as he agonized before his very sympathetic audience.”
During those intimate meetings, the Fellows may ask the president any-
thing they want, and they often are surprised at the candor of his responses.
Since the Fellows respect the confidentiality of these meetings, we are not
privy to exactly what is said there, but certainly the Fellows take away rare
insight into the thoughts of our nation’s chief executive. Many apply the
lessons they learned there to their post-Fellowship lives.

Jack Valenti, who served as special assistant to President Johnson and func-
tioned as his de facto chief of staff, was among the most loyal and enthu-
siastic supporters of the White House Fellows program until his death in
2007, and he thoroughly enjoyed watching the Fellows’ reactions to Pres-
ident Johnson’s arrival for a casual chat. “The door would come bursting
open, and this six-foot-four figure, Lyndon Johnson, would descend on
these astonished, unsuspecting White House Fellows. You can imagine—
young people suddenly are sitting down at a table with the President of the
United States! ‘Exhilarating’ is an inadequate word to fit the description.” 51
Westley “Wes” Moore (WHF 06–07) and his class experienced that
exhilaration twice: They had two substantial meetings with President
George W. Bush, who was a great supporter of the program. President Bush
was alone when he met with the Fellows; unlike most presidents, he left all
staff members outside the door. Moore said that when President Bush arrived
to meet with his class, he entered the room with no introduction and sat
down, putting his feet up on the table. He invited the Fellows to ask what-
ever questions they liked and made certain that each Fellow had at least
one chance to speak with him directly. “The first real impression that you
get from him is just how normal he really is. There are really no airs about
him,” Moore explained.

51 Jack J. Valenti, White House Fellowship Fortieth Anniversary Gala Celebration, Wash-
ington, D.C., 2005. Valenti invited every class of Fellows while he was head of the Motion
Picture of America Association to its private theater in Washington, D.C., to view a new
film. Valenti’s abiding support led the program to name a yearly award after him: the Jack
Valenti Friend of the Fellows Award for a non-Fellow who has shown dedicated service and
support for the program.

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