Dale Haney, the chief White House groundskeeper, right, chuckles as he stands with President Joe Biden and very first girl Jill Biden throughout a tree planting event on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Washington. Since this month, Haney has actually tended the yards and gardens of the White House for 50 years. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) The Associated Press By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP)– Presidents reoccur, however one constant through 10 presidencies has actually been Dale Haney, the chief White House groundskeeper, who since this month has actually invested 50 years serving the households– and a number of their animals– who have actually called the estate house. Haney’s primary obligation is to look after the large yards, vibrant flower gardens, numerous trees, countless shrubs and blossoming veggie garden on 18 acres of home surrounding the White House. He likewise chooses the main White House Christmas tree every year– and currently selected this year’s fir from a Pennsylvania farm. To honor Haney, Biden and his partner, Jill, shocked Haney on Monday by planting an elm tree on the south premises. Biden stated visitors in future years are “going to be taking a look at this tree and asking, ‘Who’s Dale?” Haney joked that he “may still be here.” Political Cartoons But Haney is possibly much better understood to lots of at the White House, from personnel to Secret Service officers, as the keeper of the president’s animals. “He’s like the whisperer,” stated Anita McBride, who was a young assistant in the correspondence workplace in Ronald Reagan’s administration when she initially satisfied Haney. Nowadays, Haney is frequently seen strolling Commander, President Joe Biden’s German shepherd. “The very first thing that I think of when I think of Dale is his relationship with the very first household’s animals,” stated Gary Walters, who had a prolonged work record of his own serving 4 presidents over 20 years as White House chief usher, handling the home personnel. Walters remembered the mayhem of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and the evacuation of the White House while President George W. Bush remained in Florida. Walters and a few of his personnel had actually remained behind regardless of the evacuation. They were on the South Lawn when Walters reversed “and there was Dale standing with Barney under one arm and Kitty Cat under the other.” “He needed to discover them and was searching for instructions on what to do with them,” Walters stated of Bush’s Scottish terrier and feline. The animals became reunited with Laura Bush at a remote place. A TWO-YEAR PLAN Anyone beginning a profession nowadays is not likely to still have that task a half century later on, however Haney’s long work record fits right in at the White House. He’s a member of the operations personnel– ball games of house cleaners, butlers, electrical contractors, carpenters, garden enthusiasts and others– who aren’t associated with the policy or politics. Their task is to keep the location running and look after the households. Numerous hold their tasks for years. “It’s a distinct function within the White House,” stated McBride, who came across Haney once again when she went back to work for Presidents George H.W. Bush and later on, for his boy. Haney had actually prepared to work simply 2 years at the White House when he began in 1972, throughout Richard Nixon’s presidency. He had a bachelor’s degree in cultivation and wished to return to school to continue his research studies. He was interning in the gardens at the Dumbarton Oaks museum in Washington when the White House called over trying to find somebody who might assist w
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