Home
Search transcripts:    Advanced Search
Notable New     Yorkers
Select     Notable New Yorker

Mary LaskerMary Lasker
Photo Gallery
Transcript

Part:         Session:         Page of 1143

reception committee for Shepherd. Then Jackie, Florence, you and I will go to Winterthor.”

Well, it was really a fascinating experience to see this young man land with the President in a helicopter on the lawn of the White House, with his family who were very wholesome and charming-looking Americans, and be received by the President and Vice President and the Justices of the Supreme Court and the major leaders of the Senate. And I remember we passed coffee to all the wives, and the men seemed to be doing one thing in one room and the wives were all in another room. The other Astronauts and their wives came too. It was a bright, pretty day, and I remember how pleasant it all seemed and how touching. There was a ceremony in the rose garden during which the President gave a medal to Shepherd. Afterwards I talked for a moment to him, and I've never talked to anyone so completely poised in my life. He was the most poised, most relaxed man I've ever encountered, completely sure.

After this we went off to Winterth, where we saw 120 rooms of American furniture of various periods. We had marvelous meals with the duPonts. Coming back in the plane I gave Jackie the first actual check of money that she got for the White House Fine Arts Committee, because I realized that what she really needed was money and not things. She needed money to buy the things to replace other things. This was a great surprise to her, and I think to the President, because I think he had thought it was just a little idea that Jane and she had and nothing would come of it in the form of money. Well, it was the first of a





© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help