"What Would Nixon Do?"

Paul Richardson, Vons Parking Lot, Encinitas, Calif., May 9, 2015

Last weekend I pulled into the parking lot of the neighborhood Von's [grocery store] in Encinitas, Calif. and couldn't help but notice the words, "What Would Nixon Do?" on the rear bumper of a blue truck parked in front of me. Not something you see everyday. I thought for a second that it might be someone I knew working in Washington on the two Nixon presidential campaigns and subsequently at The White House. Then, I reasoned it could also have something to do with Nixon Watches, a successful homegrown business in the heart of Encinitas. 

When I returned after shopping, the truck was still there with no sign of an owner which, I confess, disappointed me. I began putting my groceries into the back of my van, then shut the door. . .and there he was! I introduced myself and learned that the owner of the mysterious bumper sticker was Paul Richardson. Much to my delight, Paul didn't hesitate to tell me the back story.

"I’ve always been a Nixon fan, having graduated from Whittier College, Nixon’s alma mater,” he said. “Eileen and I finally visited the Nixon Library a few years ago where I spotted this bumper sticker." 

Paul explained that while at Whittier he attended a lecture series by Raymond K. Price, Nixon's chief speechwriter and, coincidentally, head of The White House speechwriting department when I worked there as a secretary from 1971 to 1973. Paul had the extraordinary experience of Mr. Price taking him and a fellow student on a personal tour of the Western White House in San Clemente in the late 1970s. 

“We picked lemons off the trees outside Nixon’s office, and sat behind Nixon’s desk. It was a special moment for both of us.” 

He continued, "It was that moment, sitting in Nixon’s chair, that we each decided on careers in politics. I joined the Marine Corps after college and then worked under a Republican Governor in North Carolina for eight years, and my friend Paul Bateman went to Washington with Ray Price. He later became one of President Reagan’s senior aides -- and continues to enjoy a successful career in politics today."

"Ray greatly influenced both of us," he added. "Every so often, someone stops me to admire my bumper sticker.”

Nixon Speechwriters (L to R): Unknown, Lee Huebner, David Gergen,
John McDonald (Back) and Raymond K. Price (Head, Presidential Speechwriting Department) Photo credit: Lillian Cox
Copyright 2011

The White House Easter Egg Hunt - April 3, 1972

Children served by St. Francis House enjoying The White House Easter Egg Hunt, 
April 3, 1972

While working as a secretary in the speechwriting office of The White House from 1971 to 1973, a close friend/coworker and I volunteered several times a week at St. Francis House located on E St., N.E. near Capitol Hill. It was founded by Father Manning Moore, a court stenographer and Methodist who converted to Catholicism in his fifties with the goal of spending his retirement ministering in the inner city. My friend and I leveraged our influence as White House employees to create opportunities for children such as being invited to the White House Easter Egg Hunt, and generating financial and product donations from Giant Food and Peoples Drug stores for programs operated by Father Moore.

Father Gene (left) and Father Manning Moore (right), 
St. Francis House, Washington, D.C., 1972

After getting off work we often ate dinner with Father Moore, and Brothers Gene and Dennis, before beginning our volunteerism which included running a charm school for teen girls and producing a talent show called "Souled Out" for the neighborhood and inmates at Lorton Reformatory in Virginia (which preceded the D.C. Jail). We also started evening "Rap Sessions" between inmates who were escorted to St. Francis House to talk to teens with the goal of deterring them from illegal activities which could land them at Lorton. 

One night over dinner I remember Father Moore looking at my friend and me and saying, "You're such nice girls. . . what I can't understand is Why do you work for Nixon?!"

Ultimately, I resigned my White House job, moved to California,  finished up my degree at San Diego State University (changing major from journalism to sociology/criminology) and embarking on a career in social services, which included running a halfway house for ex-offenders. Subsequently, I returned to communications in both the private and public sectors promoting educational technology as a means of lifting children out of poverty.