The Two Georges

George's Madras -O'Connell's, Buffalo, NY



George's Headquarters - Valley Forge NHP, PA

He appeared, it seemed by magic, in a madras button down, khakis and Timberland boat shoes. George McGovern had a tan and a son standing next to him. But I didn't know who they were. The son wore a beard, t-shirt, jeans and 20 extra pounds. He smiled warmly but not like his father. I'll never forget the smile of George McGovern in Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge.

His smile was white but not too bright. He asked me questions about General Washington. "Were there any other headquarter locations at VF?" No. "How were the colors of the bedroom walls researched?" Extensively. "How long had I worked there?" Two months. Not normal questions but you knew this guy was no normal visitor. Still, I had no idea.

It was hot on the second floor and my straw Stetson hung by the chin strap on top of a radio belted to my waist. I had no idea the radio was off. A man came up the stairs using the same banister we told visitors George Washington used. He saw McGovern and sang out, "Senator McGovern! What a surprise." McGovern turned from me, half smiled and almost whispered, " Jim...what's a lobbyist like you doing at Valley Forge."

McGovern and the lobbyist made some small talk while I wondered what to say as sweat trickled down the small of my back and into the crack of my butt. I was staring at McGovern now and forgetting everything. That I was born in South Dakota. That I hated Nixon. Wondering how things would have been different if only...if only...he had been elected president. This man who was not just some well heeled lawyer from the Main Line... but, George-fucking-McGovern.

George-fucking-McGovern turned from the lobbyist to me, held out his hand and said, "I'm George McGovern. " I shook a hand who had shaken so many others and said, "I'm John." He smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, John. " He introduced me to his son in the t-shirt and in less than a second the stairway was filled with 80 Girl Scouts.

McGovern looked at me with concern and as a good federal employee I showed him the escape. A 200 year old secret staircase by the fireplace. I showed the senator and his son the exit and closed the door behind them just as the Girl Scouts reached the landing.

Later at the Visitor Center, a ranger working behind the information desk asked, "Did you see him? We tried to call you." "Yes," I said. I had no idea how much he knew about history." The ranger laughed, "He has a doctorate in history you idiot." And I thought to myself, "Isn't it odd how we short change the most important people."

Paid in Sunsets - Living in a National Park

Johnson House - Ft Matanzas, Sumerhaven, FL

Huntington's Quarters, Valley Forge NHP

Lord Stirling's Quarters - Valley Forge NHP

In exchange for a low paying job, the NPS often, though not always, offered on site quaters for a small fee. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to live in each of the above as a park ranger. They have all been closed and are in serious disrepair as the Park Service focuses resources on the park's mission rather than living quarters.

The Johnson House in Summer Haven, FL faces the inland waterway at Ft Matanzas NM. Remote and gated, it was the most peaceful place I have ever lived. I entertained the retired news producer of The Today Show and his English wife on the flag stone terrace serving hor d'oeurves of Totino's frozen cheese pizza, a bucket of KFC chicken and Red, White and Blue beer. The producer's wife told me it was one of the most beautiful dinners she ever had.

Huntington's Quarters sits in the bottom of the valley across from the George Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge. Long closed, it was once host to frequent parties of the rangers who lived there. At one party, a NPS historian from Philadelphia offered up for sale a bayonet from the American Revolution. A ranger from Iowa inspected the bayonet for a couple of minutes and upon handing it back pointed to the barely legible stamp of the letters "a" and "n" just above the socket. A closer inspection with a loop revealed the word, "Japan." We never heard from the historian again.

Lord Stirling's Quarters sits on Yellow Springs Road just past the covered bridge on the far west side of Valley Forge. When I lived here, I always thought it would be the kind of house I would own one day. A Pennsylvania stone farm house from the 18th Century with fire places in every room. Sadly, the interior is gutted due to a termite infestation. It breaks my heart. Scenes from the television mini series, George Washington with Barry Bostwick, were filmed in my upstairs bedroom. Proof left by deep scratches to the wide plank floor from a careless camera crew.

Money and the making of it - will never come close to the memories I have of these unique homes. It's pleasing to know I can't spend memories.