Have you ever met a president?

Ever build a house with Jimmy Carter? 

Dodge a golf ball hit by Gerald Ford?

Or maybe your parents took you to see Dwight D. Eisenhower.

As the inauguration of the nation's 44th president approaches, we're asking you to share your memories of meeting or seeing a president in person.  Although a president's image appears everywhere, it's still a rare thing to see one live, so tell us what you remember.

Leave your reminiscences here.  Got a photo or video?  We'd love to see those too -- submit them at Your Scene (photos should be in .jpg format; video files may be .avi, .dv, .mov, .qt, .mp4, .mpeg, .3gp, .asf, .wmv, .mpg or .mp3 files and should be no larger than 7 megabytes).

Photo: President John F. Kennedy smiles as he is surrounded by fans after going for a swim in the ocean behind his brother-in-law's home in Santa Monica.  Credit: Bill Beebe/Associated Press.

Comments

[JJ]

Bush 41 came into a conference on presidential rhetoric that I attended a couple of times at A&M. On one occasion, he came into a plenary session and joked about how Barbara sent him there to learn something about "this rhetoric thing." He seemed like a very gracious and decent person.

[JC]

Shook the hand of the elder Bush during the GOP convention in 1988. Lucky to be on a steam boat that carried him on the Mississippi to a dock where he had a rally. When he boarded, since the ship was small, he felt a little unsafe -he actually asked his people if "it was safe"- that's when I new the guy was human. Nice guy- although I am and have been a lifelong Democrat.

[john Gomez]

In Nov 1964, LBJ came to Austin to close campaigining for the general election. My parents lived a few blocks from downtown Austin. I was small in size and could get through crowds and felt I owned the streets downtown as I frequented them many times. In the tens of thousands of people downtown for the rally, I found my self in the front of crowds and shook LBJs hand. My memoray was that his hand was HUGE and the moment was very exciting in Austin. I've been a democrat since.

[Carol]

I met Ronald Reagan before he became President. I shook his hand at a teen club (YMCA), in Fort Wayne, Indiana. General Electric was one of the large manufacturing companies in that city in 1950's. Mr. Reagan was a spokesman for G.E. at the time.

I also met General Eisenhower when in the U.S. Navy in 1958 at Arlington National Cemetery. It was at the laying of the wreath for the Unknown Solider from Korea. All military services were involved. I didn't get to shake his hand, but I could see him from where I stood with my company. I was the company's flag carrier and we had marched from the capitol to the cemetery on that very hot (95 degrees) Washington, D.C. heat.

[Adam Tramantano]

I almost met Bill Clinton. When I was an English teacher at A. Philip Randolph high school in Harlem NYC, in the Fall of '06, Clinton came to the school to campaign against childhood obesity. I was teaching in the afternoon, in room 417. In the room next door, 415, literally right behind the chcalkboard I was writing on, was Bill Clinton being interviewed. I didn't get to see him or meet him--secret service was all over the place. The students had didfficulty concentrating, but they still pulled through.

Something interesting though, a colleague who got the opportunity to meet Clinton on that day also met Clinton a few years prior as he was entering his Harlem office. Years and millions of handshakes later, Clinton actually remembers this man's name!

Oh, and I saw Guiliani before he was even mayor of NYC at the Columbus day parade in the Bronx. Hope this counts in some way!

[JACK GOLDSMITH]

I met President Nixon when he was Vice President at Los Angeles City College in the late fifties at the opening of the new auditorium. I was one of the student athletes on the swimming and water polo team that was seleteed to escort him around the campus. I got to shake hands and got his autograph.

[dot]

I helped escort a group of injured Viet Nam vets from Brooke AMC to the LBJ ranch in Stonewall, TX, in 1970. LBJ and Lady Bird boarded our bus and shook our hands. They were very gracious and I do still have some photos of the event.

[Doug Boggs]

I was able to meet Rosalyn Carter, while Jimmy Carter was campaigning. I was in the high school band that was asked to play for her arrival and such. Through lengthy searches (even though I was only 14 years old) and the need to take apart the drums and vibraphone for Secret Service, we were allowed in, to the rebuild our instruments and then to play our over rehearsed songs for the town hall discussion intermission and pomp and circumstance.

We got in line to shake her hand, which took hours... only to pack it all up again for our next gig the following week...cheerleader final tryouts...Paula Abdul hadn't yet had a hit on the radio...

[Anon Genius]

I was a young Navy civilian engineer back in D.C. in the early 80's and our Commander heard a few of us complaining about the lack of Blacks at events like this and he asked us "Why aren't you going?" Since everyone (not just Blacks) was given Administrative Leave to attend the event, I went and got to meet Ronald Reagan at his second inauguration. It really changed my opinion about him. (Not many of us attended, I'm ashamed to say.) Years later, I would meet Clinton at his second inauguration. I also shook Carter's hand at a Habitat for Humanity event after he left office. He's a really nice guy. He and Mrs. Carter sent us a Christmas card that year and I had it framed.

I think we (as a nation) do a wonderful job selecting our leaders and I'd like to think that George Bush, Jr. is better than the press portrays him, although of all the people I've met, I'm still convinced that Al Gore is among the smartest men on the planet.

[Clay Hage]

Met Richard Nixon in 1986 at fundraiser in Newport Beach for Bruce Herschensohn. Friendly conversationalist, no pretenses.
Met Ronald Reagan in 1990 in Riverside when I was a candidate for Assembly. Treated each candidate as though they were old friends.
Met George HW Bush in 1979 in Moorhead MN when he first ran for president and I represented my local university. Very personable, as though nobody else was in the room. I was only 26 at the time.

[bjth]

I'm a lifelong Democrat, so wouldn't you know? I've met two Republican Presidents. In 1968 I met Nixon. Oddly enough, he was absolutely charming, not a word usually associated with the man. Much earlier in my life, I met Ike through my grandparents who had been local muckety mucks in the Rep party. I was in my stroller with a little American flag attached to it and no doubt slept through much of the encounter after the intro, but I can say I met Ike and Mamie in a manner of speaking.

[dan]

I've met two presidents on opposite sides of their tenure. In 1984 I was working at Walt Disney World in Orlando as part of their college program. I was a Jungle Cruise skipper. One day some official looking guys cleared out the cues and a bit later Richard Nixon walks down with his daughter and grand-kids. His head was college mascot huge and he was wearing a suit. He was, however, very nice and made a point to meet all of us working there that day. In 1989 I was a TV reporter in Joplin, Mo. Part of our territory was Arkansas and I met Clinton more than once. He was the youngest governor in the country and I remember thinking..."well...it is arkansas...."

[Barry Jackson]

I was only a few feet away from Richard Nixon when he was campaigning to become President in the autumn of 1968. He came to speak at a shopping mall in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. He said that some of his ancestors were Quakers who came from the area.
In Sept. 1996 I saw President Bill Clinton when he visited Fort Worth, Texas.
The previous President to stay in Fort Worth was President Kennedy the night before he was assassinated.

[Joyce]

said hello to President and Mrs Eisenhower at the Rose Parade in Pasadena - he was Grand Marshal they were in their limo waiting for it to start - walked right up to the limousine and wished them both a Happy New Year (couldn't do that now) - he was a bit grumpy and Mamie kind of jabbed him in the ribs and said "Ike, wish this nice young girl a Happy New Year" - which he did - (chickened out and didn't ask for a rose)

[Norm L.]

My high school marching band was invited to play for President Ford when he arrived in Bakersfield to tour the Elk Hills Oil Reserve in 1975. The press corps seemed so chaotic around him when he came out of the plane, then for some reason the Secret Service held everyone else back as he walked in front of our band as we played. He gave us a big grin and listened to us for a minute or so, with no one else within twenty feet. Our school newspaper photographer got a beautiful shot of him standing there.

[James Thomas Horn]

It was in the spring of 1948. I was only seven at the time. A Presidential motorcade was going through Key West, Florida on a nice, sunny, clear day.
People lined Division Street just to see the President. School was even let out early so we could see Harry S. Truman, President. He had a great smile and waved his hat in the air to everyone. I will never forget it. The school and street is now called Truman instead of Division Street. A President always brings excitement to the air. It is always incredible.

James Thomas Horn
Bolivia, NC

[David Bloom]

I met George W. Bush in 1999 when he was the Texas Governor running for President. I was working at CNN's Los Angeles Bureau at the time as the Stage Manager for Larry King Live. He came into the studio and came right up to me with his hand out and said "What's up man?" I told him, "I voted for your dad. I am going to vote for you, too." He thanked me and sat down for the beginning of the show. He seemed like a real likeable guy.

[K Baker]

March 6, 1959
When I was in sixth grade, our teacher took us on a field trip to the Utah State Capitol, in Salt Lake City. We were there to watch the legislature, but were fortunate enough to hear the speech by a young Senator: John F Kennedy. His beautiful wife made a very short statement about "I don't really give speeches".

As we all left, we saw a line of cars....and ran towards them. The Kennedys were very gracious to us, and shook our hands.

[lorenzo squarf atlanta ga]

I met President Jimmy Carter, one-on-one, long after he was no longer President. He was gracious, friendly, soft-spoken, and a true southern gentleman.

[Don Swofford FAIA]

Sometime in early 1995, as the architect for the restoration of his home in Leesburg Virginia, I was invited to attend a luncheon to honor Secretary George C. Marshall. The luncheon was held in the diplomatic reception rooms on the top floor of the State Department and were hosted by General Colin Powell. I circulated around the crowd dazzled by the dignitaries and ambassadors. I stepped onto the balcony overlooking Constitution Avenue. There in front of me were President's Carter, Ford, GH Bush and Regan standing in a half circle. I was amazed at how they were all at least six feet tall but now slightly bent over in rapt attention to the person standing in the center of their circle. There, at the center of four men who at different times had been the most powerful men in the world, stood a much shorter Henry Kissinger pointing into the palm of one hand with his index finger of the other clearly making a point. It was stunning.

[Rod Barken]

It's 1960 and Kennedy's on the stump at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach, catching potential voters in the parking lot on the east side of Lakewood Blvd as they head for home. I'm a freshman at Long Beach City College charged with setting up the sound equipment for his speech. I'm eighteen, don't even know or care who Kennedy is, just in it for the easy grade.

I'm standing on the flatbed trailer from which he'll speak, next to a four- or five-step wooden stairway. Kennedy breaks from the crowd, moves towards the trailer, then stops at the bottom of the stairs, looking up. I lean over, extend my hand; he grasps it and ---there being no rails--- I help him up. He smiles, pats me on the shoulder, says 'Thank you."

Kennedy gives his speech, thanks everyone for listening, turns and begins shaking hands with the dignitaries on the flatbed. As he moves towards the stairs, he stops, turns, looks at me, then walks back to again shake my hand.

"That was very kind of you," he tells me, "and I appreciate what you did."

[Mike]

I saw President Reagan give a speech in Biloxi, MS in 1984 when he was running for reelection. I shook former President Carter's hand in 1994 on a flight from New York City to Atlanta. My wife and I got to meet and get a photograph with President and Mrs. Bush at the White House in 2004 at a Christmas reception.

[Dan McG]

I met and took a picture with President Harry Truman outside his house after he left office. We were looking at the house when he came out to roll up the windows of his car. (He was having the garage worked on and they were parked in the street.) My father snapped several pictures of him before we even got out of the car. He was very nice and Mr. Truman asked if my father would like to take a picture of him and I together. That black and white photo still hangs in my living room today!

[Maria McElwee]

Can't remember the year I shook Bill Clinton's hand at a mall not far from my job in Los Angeles, CA. Heard he would be there, so I brought a disposable camera, told my job I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see a living president whom I highly admired. There were so many people there. It was only a miracle that I was able to touch him and get his picture!! I remember his eyes were so sincere and his strong, but gentle hand shake!

[Mark L.]

I shook W's hand at the Kentucky Derby while he was on the campaign trail. When I returned to the party I was with, I excitedly told them the news. That's when my Dad said, "why did you shake that jackass' hand?..."