Wilson Roosevelt Jerman, former WH butler who served through 11 presidencies, dies of COVID-19

[babylonsister]

Wilson Roosevelt Jerman, former White House butler who served through 11 presidencies, dies of COVID-19
By Aris Folley - 05/20/20 04:10 PM EDT
Video, pix at link~


Wilson Roosevelt Jerman, who served as a White House butler for more than five decades, has died of COVID-19 at the age of 91, local media report.

Granddaughter Jamila Garrett said in an interview with FOX 5 DC that that Jerman first began working at the White House as a cleaner under the Eisenhower administration in 1957.

She said it wasn’t until the former President John F. Kennedy came into office in the 1960s that her grandfather was promoted to butler after building a rapport with the first couple.

snip//

In her interview with the news station, Garrett took the chance to thank former first lady Michelle Obama, whose husband was the last president under whom Jerman served, for including a photo of her grandfather in her recent memoir "Becoming."

“I want to say thank you so much, so much to Michelle Obama for including him in her book,” she said. “You know, just considering that we aren’t able to grieve normally, physically together, that is one way that we are able to still feel connected to his success and connected to so much that he promoted around authenticity and building relationships.”

more...

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/498811-wilson-roosevelt-jerman-former-white-house-butler-who-served-through

[Vogon_Glory]

1. An upright man of probity has passed

RIP, Mr. Jerman.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. R.I.P.

[area51]

3. RIP

[Lucinda]

4. ...

[oasis]

5. I'm sure he had a ton of intersting stories to share with his family. nt

Rest in Peace

[Cha]

6. RIP.. Wilson Roosevelt Jerman

[demtenjeep]

7. didn't dumbass fire him

I seem to remember outrage that dotard let him go?

[Thomas Hurt]

8. or he just knows an asshole when he sees one...wasn't going to work for it.

[Celerity]

14. no, he retired in 2012

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/former-white-house-butler-wilson-roosevelt-jerman-dies-of-covid-19

Jerman worked at the White House from 1957 to 2012 as a cleaner, a doorman, and butler.

[JI7]

16. You are probably thinking of the Inauguration Guy

i think an announcer or something that did it years ago and by tradition every president elect asks him back.

Trump had some donor do it instead.

[niyad]

18. I believe that lardass fired the woman who was butler.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. When C-SPAN Did The WH Tour...

...with the folks that worked there, they interviewed this guy. I remember the first name.
This was several years back. (Early Obama years?)
He was a gentle soul. But I got the sense that anybody under him better be on their toes.
Tight ship around that captain!

[stillcool]

10. He worked there since 1957! 55 years!

sad to not know of him before he died.

[dameatball]

11. Many look back on life and wonder if it was worth it. I suspect this person had no such doubt.

[Karadeniz]

12. Oh!

[Celerity]

13. RIP

[paleotn]

15. .....

[lunatica]

17. Wasn't he the one who's story was made into a movie

starring Forest Whittaker and Oprah Winfrey?

Rest In Peace Sir.

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+movie+The+Butler&client=safari&hl=en-us&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=BTlf2cBqDMOXSM%253A%252CTy_7pIJndsJBLM%252C%252Fm%252F0lkvn87&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQ_Z3XZzdRxOHwn4u64GwcCSlfN0Q&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjm7YPf48PpAhVaK80KHReTCU0Q_B0wG3oECA0QAw&biw=1173&bih=762&dpr=2#imgrc=Cgc3sXZ-qzHh-M

[Squidly]

20. No

It was based on the life of Eugene Allen

[Joe Mauriceovich]

19. Sorry, but this is a Duplicate

of https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213463778

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

21. RIP

[Liberty Belle]

22. Oh my, I interviewed him years ago.

He had some interesting stories to tell about JFK, LBJ, etc Wish I had a copy of that old newspaper story.

If he is the one I'm remembering, he also served as chief White House usher for a while

He used to awaken the president each morning, and was once startled by Caroline Kennedy's missing pet hamster that scampered across JFK's bed.

He spoke of Prince Philip inviting him to the royal palace if he ever visited Britain, back before the civil rights movement when black staffers were not treated with such dignity by most here.