White House employee writes history of presidential entertaining
At times, Barry Landau feels like a real-life Forrest Gump.
Like the fictional Gump, a man who found himself blending into the major historical events of the late 20th century, Landau has been on the periphery of history since he was a small boy.
In 1958, Landau, then 10, met President Eisenhower and was invited to the White House for milk and cookies. At 18, he became a White House intern, helping plan state dinners and other social events for the Lyndon Johnson presidency. That launched a career that kept him at the White House through the Clinton presidency.
Through the years, Landau, 59, has become something of an expert in the art of entertainment, as practiced by the U.S. presidents. That's the topic of a book he's written, "The President's Table: Two Hundred Years of Dining and Diplomacy ($34.95, HarperCollins)." The book is bringing him to Abilene, the boyhood home of Eisenhower. Landau, who lives in New York, will share stories behind presidential social events at a luncheon and lecture set for Tuesday at the Eisenhower Library. A book signing will follow.
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Like the fictional Gump, a man who found himself blending into the major historical events of the late 20th century, Landau has been on the periphery of history since he was a small boy.
In 1958, Landau, then 10, met President Eisenhower and was invited to the White House for milk and cookies. At 18, he became a White House intern, helping plan state dinners and other social events for the Lyndon Johnson presidency. That launched a career that kept him at the White House through the Clinton presidency.
Through the years, Landau, 59, has become something of an expert in the art of entertainment, as practiced by the U.S. presidents. That's the topic of a book he's written, "The President's Table: Two Hundred Years of Dining and Diplomacy ($34.95, HarperCollins)." The book is bringing him to Abilene, the boyhood home of Eisenhower. Landau, who lives in New York, will share stories behind presidential social events at a luncheon and lecture set for Tuesday at the Eisenhower Library. A book signing will follow.