It was Friday, August 23, 1991. I was in the newsroom waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, I got a call from my old radio buddy Dex (Bill Poindexter. At the time, he was managing the Chattanooga Choo Choo restaurant. “Dave, you’ll never guess who’s eating a cheeseburger two tables away from me,” Dex said. “You’re right,” I said. “Who is it?”
“It’s President Jimmy Carter, with his wife Rosalynn, and their grandkids. They’re here on vacation, and you’re the only person I’m telling.” I yelled to my photographer Glen Wagner, “Let’s go, we’ve got a president at the Choo Choo!” Glen grabbed a camera, and we took off. As we got in the car, I told him about Dex’s confidential tip. “Does President Carter know we’re coming?” he asked. “Absolutely not,” I said. “We’ll surprise him.”
When we got to the Choo Choo, we didn’t see a presidential entourage. “I hope we didn’t miss him,” Glen said. There was no limo, and no sign of any Secret Service agents. A few scattered tourists were roaming the grounds. We headed to the restaurant. We didn’t want to barge in, so glanced through the window. There they were. The Carter family, ten years removed from the White House, enjoying a quiet lunch with the grandchildren. “Glen!” I said. “Go ahead and get some video through the window, this may be all we get.” He dutifully aimed through the glass, and Mrs. Carter spotted us. I’m not a lip-reader, but judging from her expression, she clearly did NOT say, “Oh look, Jimmy! A couple of nice local reporters found out we’re here on vacation! What a pleasant surprise!” Mr. Carter swiftly turned his head, peered through the window, and looked me right in the eye.
He quickly turned back to his wife with a disgusted look on his face. Sensing his disappointment, I said, “Glen, let’s give them time to finish eating, and do their sightseeing, and then I’ll ask him to do an interview.” Eventually two Secret Service guys politely requested we give the President “a little space.” Fearing a headline of “Alleged news guy ruins Presidential vacation,” I gladly consented.
Glen and I waited, and our persistence was rewarded. About a half-hour after finishing their meal, the Carters had wrapped up their tour. The cute grandchildren had hopped on and off every box car, so I said to Glen, “Here’s our chance!” I walked up to Mr. Carter, shook his hand, and introduced myself. “Mr. President,” I said, “I hate to bother folks when they’re on vacation…” He stopped me in mid-sentence, flashed that famous grin, and said, “Looks like it doesn’t bother you too much.” I laughed awkwardly. (Was he kidding? Or did I just play Fail to the Chief?), I plodded on. “If you can spare a minute for a quick interview…” He stopped me again. “Make it quick, we’re about to leave.” I can take a hint. Glen set up the camera, microphone and tripod quickly, and we were ready to roll.
After our rough start, he couldn’t have been any nicer. I had my questions ready. Could there be a female presidential candidate in 1992? Absolutely, he said. There were several qualified women. Did he expect a big-name politician to win the ’92 Democratic nomination, or would it be a relative unknown, as he had been in 1976? He said there was plenty of time for a lesser-known candidate to emerge (It turned out to be another obscure southern governor named Bill Clinton.)
He also commented on downtown Chattanooga, the railroads, and even the quality of his lunch. He didn’t seem too annoyed as we parted company, and I had my exclusive interview for the evening news.
The next day, I called Dex. “Thanks for tipping me off about this,” I said. “No problem,” Dex said. “We took good care of him and his family, and after a while, I went to the bathroom. There was somebody in the next stall, and I later realized it was him. That was the first time I met a sitting president.”
David Carroll is a Chattanooga news anchor, and his new book “I Won’t Be Your Escape Goat” is available on his website, ChattanoogaRadioTV.com. You may contact him at 900 Whitehall Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405, or at RadioTV2020@yahoo.com.
