Gregory Peck -- The Power of Remembrance

In 1966, I was working in the executive office of then President Lyndon B. Johnson.  One day a request came through from Gregory Peck, much beloved, Oscar-winning actor…one of the greatest Hollywood has ever produced.

Mr. Peck requested a tour of the White House. President Johnson asked me to attend the tour and see that Mr. Peck was well taken care of. I put in a call to a gentleman by the name of Joe Bruno, then head of tour services at the White House, to make sure that Joe personally conducted the tour.

Joe took us places where the general public did not go. Mr. Peck was very impressed and very grateful for the special attention. When we got downstairs into the basement – actually a very busy, very important area in the White House (a sort of nerve center for operations) -- Joe gestured to a room up ahead and said “Gentlemen, if you will, please step into this area.”  Joe opened the door to reveal a small library. Then he said quietly, “Let me tell you a story…”

“President Kennedy,” he began, “typically reached a “saturation point” in the meetings with his cabinet …a point where he had essentially had enough. Information was flowing from all sides. Tempers and attitudes and issues combined to bring the proceedings – and his composure -- to a boiling point. He would get up, enter the hallway and proceed to this room, locking himself in.  He would then walk over to the shelves, remove a favorite book and walk the room, measuredly thumbing through the pages.” 

Joe went on to explain that the book selected was one by the iconic American artist Fredrick Remington…a compilation of illustrations of old west scenes, sketches and character studies. JFK would frequently linger on a group of paintings depicting the faces of Native Americans – staring at them, studying them.

“When he was finished,” Joe continued, “President Kennedy would close the book, return it to its place on the shelf, turn and walk from the room, back into the heat of the cabinet meeting. The simple library ritual calmed him…rebooted him…steeled him against the chaos of the cabinet meeting. He would walk back into that pressure cooker with a smile on his face, sit down and continue.”

Few were aware that this was what the President actually did during his “breaks” from the action, but they did observe that when he stepped back into the room, he was ready to go.

Joe looked at us directly and ventured a conclusion…”At the risk of examining this moment in time too closely, I think perhaps the President reclaimed his “cool“ by taking a moment to consider the previous experiences, trials and sacrifice of those who preceded us. “

“Perhaps,” he continued, “the ritual helped remind him of his duty to remember and represent those dreams, those sacrifices, those hard won victories of will and character that in fact shaped this nation.”

Mr. Peck carefully pulled the volume from the library shelf. Supporting it underneath with one spread palm, he slowly, gently ran the fingers of his free hand over the soft leather of the book’s cover. Crossing the room to a studded wing chair, the actor sat down with the book and began to look through the pages… carefully, silently, reverently…stopping occasionally to look off into the distance and embrace his thoughts. He did this for about 15 minutes. I stood there and was drawn into my own remembrance of things past… pondering what got me here to this place in my life, what kept me here, and indeed, where future paths might take me.

I think of this collection of moments and I remember…I see Mr. Peck opening the same book, looking at each page, sitting in the same chair that JFK sat in…on a journey through history the likes of which few of us are ever fortunate enough to take.

Every once in awhile – once a day, even – it’s time to take time out. Time to breathe, reflect and repurpose.

 Sometimes a moment is all we need. A moment for silent self- connection and assessment. Some might choose to call it praying. For others, it’s a form of meditation or dreamtime or self-hypnosis or simple remembrance -- a revisitation of the past and a contemplation of the future.

 We all need to go there. We need to take a trip back occasionally, spurred on by events and happenings that are challenging, seemingly chaotic or even fear-inducing… take a trip back and take stock of how fortunate we are to be in a better situation, a better place, a better world. And then we need to look forward at how we might help ensure that outcome.

 Now more than ever, I think.