Page 73 - Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows

THE LESSONS

performances; and Mrs. Shouse would chair the foundation and serve on
a park advisory board.
Interest in Veblen’s plan grew. A Virginia senator agreed to sponsor the
legislation, and the chairs of the appropriate congressional committees
bought into the plan too because the park would be self-supporting. Mrs.
Shouse heeded her advisors and signed the necessary transfer documents.
“We were stretching things a bit, and some winks and nods were required
to justify the transfers of property and money, but by midspring everyone
was fully on board and the legislation was drafted. But we decided to forgo
petitioning the budget director for his approval before introducing the
legislation because we felt this would be a major stumbling block,” Veblen
explained.
“The budget director first learned of the bill when it was introduced
into Congress, and within hours the proverbial stuff hit the proverbial fan,”
Veblen said. “Three people—an Interior Department lawyer, Beaty, and
I—were identified as the culprits and our session with the budget director
was a bit tense, but in the end he decided there were bigger fish to fry—or
skewer—and he sent us back to Interior properly chastised. He then called
Stewart Udall to tell him ‘never again,’ which prompted Udall to call Orren
and me into his office, where he said, ‘I told the budget director that one
Wolf Trap Farm Park is enough. Well done.’” Veblen’s year as a Fellow ended
in August 1966 with the legislation to establish the park still pending. Two
months later the legislation passed both houses and was signed by the pres-
ident. Two and a half years after that, Mrs. Shouse and Stewart Udall cer-
emonially broke ground for construction of the park’s pavilion. Mrs. Shouse
continued to stay involved in all phases of the development of the center,
contributing her time and financial resources to bring the performing arts
venue to life.
Today, forty years after its creation, Wolf Trap National Park for the
Performing Arts still welcomes visitors to opera, ballet, jazz, the theater,
and all other forms of the performing arts and remains the only American
national park devoted to live performing arts. It is a great example of how
17
private interests and the federal government can work together, and it also
stands as testament to a young White House Fellow’s fierce determination

17 Eve and Millar Carr, The Wolf Trap Story (Wolf Trap Associates, 1977).

58