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\nWhite House Memories is the candid account of American history through the lens of the longest-serving White House usherGary J. Walters, who served seven presidents, bore witness to countless pivotal moments in modern U.S. history, all from inside the White House presidential residence”I do not believe that most Americans understand the difficulties the presidency brings to a man and his family,” Walters tells PEOPLE<\/p>\n
The longest-serving White House usher is opening up about what goes on inside the president’s residence.\n<\/p>\n
White House Memories<\/a> by former chief usher Gary J. Walters immerses readers in the bustling world inside the White House, where he served seven U.S. presidents. The chief usher’s responsibility involves facilitating all operations in the White House’s residence, where the sitting president and their family lives, thus providing an exceptionally unique perspective on American history.\n<\/p>\n Walters \u2014 who served 37 years total in the White House \u2014 was present on Nixon’s final day in Office, the Inauguration Day move-in of three Carter families, the Pope’s first White House visit, the South Lawn plane crash and the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. He also bore witness to “behind-the-scenes activities of numerous State Dinners and entertainments” \u2014 the setting in which the popular Netflix series The Residence<\/a> took inspiration.\n<\/p>\n Gary J. Walters’ ‘White House Memories.’.<\/p>\n White House Historical Association<\/p>\n The author tells PEOPLE he hopes to “separate the ‘political’ White House from the home of our presidents” in his upcoming memoir.<\/p>\n “I do not believe that most Americans understand the difficulties the presidency brings to a man and his family,” Walters tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. “Every president I worked for was unbelievably driven and tireless in his attempts to do what he thought was best for the country.”\n<\/p>\n He adds that his stories will offer a peek “behind the privacy screen” that he “so judiciously guarded” while serving at the White House.\n<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.<\/p>\n Gary J. Walters.<\/p>\n NARA<\/p>\n The author first began serving in the building as an Executive Protective Service officer for President Richard Nixon<\/a> and President Gerald Ford<\/a>. He then joined the Usher’s Office in 1976 and was promoted to the top position 10 years later, serving as chief usher until his retirement in 2007.\n<\/p>\n White House Memories will serve as ” a timeless gift, offering an intimate glimpse into White House life for readers today and scholars of tomorrow,” explains Stewart D. McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, which was founded by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n