When Two Worlds Met at the White House: My Tribute to Linda Ann Faulkner Johnston , Former Social Secretary to President and Mrs Reagan
Linda Ann Faulkner Johnston (1949 – 2024)
Professor Joe Goldblatt
As so often happens today when one is searching the internet, you sadly do not find what you are looking for and find something else instead. Last evening I searched for a video clip of my wife and myself performing at the Reagan White House. I found the clip and upon seeing the young woman who organised the event I began to search for her contact details to share this memory. Sadly, I soon learned that she had died on Valentine’s Day, also Ash Wednesday, 14 February 2024.
I first met Linda Faulkner at the Reagan White House when she enlisted my help to organise children’s entertainment for an event entitled To Love a Child that would feature First Lady Nancy Reagan and Frank Sinatra. I quickly assembled a cast of clowns and mimes (that included myself and my wife) and we made our way to the south lawn of the White House to entertain hundreds of people and promote Mrs Reagan’s policies to protect children.
White House Congressional Picnic photo personally inscribed to our,
at that time, three year old son Sam who is wearing a sailor suit in the front row
with his mother kneeling behind him.
Photo courtesy of The White House
From our first meeting we realised we both shared the same home town of Dallas, Texas, however our backgrounds could not have been more different. ollar neighbourhood and she grew up in Highland Park, an area of upper class professionals, bankers, real estate magnates and other posh people. She had attended the upper class Highland Park High School whilst I attend W W Samuell where the working class led in sports but fell behind in going on to top colleges and universities.
Despite our differences we became fast friends and during the Reagan administration I had the privilege of working with Linda to provide a wide variety of entertainers for her White House guests. President and Mrs Reagan both came from the world of show business and they understood the importance of putting on a good show for their guests.
One of Linda’s most treasured moments was a State Dinner when the Reagan’s hosted the newly married Prince Charles and Princess Diana of Wales. Prior to the event Linda had contacted Buckingham Palace for some recommendations in creating the guest list and the royal staff had recommended that John Travolta be invited.
Following the lavish dinner President Reagan invited the Princess to join him for a slow dance and then Linda asked the Marine Corp Band to play Stayin’ Alive which was the popular theme song from the hit film Saturday Night Live. As the band struck up the new up tempo tune, at the urging of Linda, Travolta asked the President of the United States, who was dancing with the Princess, if he could cut in.
Suddenly John Travolta and the Princess were twirling all over the dance floor and the guests were delighted as was the Princess who was smiling broadly. Later that evening the limousine driver who drove the Prince and Princess to their accomodation asked the royal couple if they had enjoyed their evening. The Princess immediately and enthusiastically shouted from the rear seat “I danced with John Travolta!” When this exchange was reported to Linda and later to the First Lady they both smiled because they had succeeded in creating a memorable event for their guests.
This was one of many times Linda impressed me with her creativity, professionalism, and desire to represent the United States of America through live events in the best way possible. This is why President and Mrs Reagan trusted her instincts and she never let them or the nation down.
She also never let me down. During the AIDS virus controversy in th early 1980’s my wife and I decided to host a gala dinner to raise funds to support a local AIDS clinic that provided free services to AIDS sufferers. To my surprise and disappointment,’due to the stigma of AIDS at that time as being a gay disease, I could not find any other leaders in the nation’s capital to help me in organising the event.
Despite the difficulties I pressed on and sold enough tickets to provide a donation for the clinic. However, the week before the banquet I realised I needed help in arranging the seating chart for the dinner. I telephoned Linda and she said “I will be right over.” My office was in the Watergate office building, a ten minute walk from the White House.
A few minutes later my secretary announced that Ms Faulkner had arrived and as soon as she walked into my office she helped me spread the table plan onto the floor, she dropped to her knees, and began to seat my guests. We may have come from two different worlds, however, our shared loved of successful events, had brought us together once again.
Shortly before leaving the White House at the end of the Reagan administration Linda asked me to meet with her privately at the White House. When I entered her tiny East Wing office she closed the door and confided that she had no idea of what she would do next. She asked me if I thought she should begin a speaking career talking to corporate and other groups about her work at the White House.
I was honoured that she shared her private thoughts with me and immediately endorsed her plan and helped her craft her talk and recommended agencies who could promote her to associations and other groups. Later, I even hired her myself to speak to a large association of event management professionals.
The final event I produced with Linda was the annual White House Congressional Picnic. The day before the event she called me and suggested I bring the entire family as President and Mrs Reagan would like to thank us for our help during their time in the White House. Following the picnic Linda escorted me and my family into the private quarters of the White House where the President and First Lady effusively thanked us for our service to them and to our country.
Immediately following the event, colour photos arrived at my office with the Reagans along with an official letter of thanks from the President. Once again, Linda’s thoughtfulness, even at the end of her tenure at the White House, was boundless.
My final meeting with Linda was in our hometown of Dallas when I was escorting a group of my students from Scotland to a convention. Linda and I shared cups of tea and she once again confided that recently she had suffered from cancer and although weakened, was hopeful she would recover. However, rather than dwell upon her critical illness, she insisted on directing the conversation to find out about my well being in Scotland, my wife’s acclimation to her new country, our children and other selfless queries about our future.
Perhaps that is why when I discovered that my friend had died on Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday I suddenly experienced a warm feeling that was similar to that I had known when in the presence of Linda Ann Faulkner Johnston. She was indeed a woman with boundless love for others and a devout Christian who put God before all else in her world. Therefore, although I was sad, I was also comforted about the date of her passing from our world to eternity.
Prior to her death she reunited with a former Washington DC friend named Gilbert Johnston and they later married and created a beautiful loving home together in Terrell, Texas. I am also grateful that late in life she found her true love and was able to share it through her marriage to Gilbert.
Indeed, we came from two worlds, however, I like to think that those worlds were like two comets converging in a beautiful way to create not only memorable national events but also a friendship that lasted for many years. Her memory will be a blessing to all who knew her and to those who attended her beautiful events.
I also hope that future White House Social Secretaries possess the creativity, professionalism, boundless joy, and integrity of my friend Linda Ann Faulkner Johnston as this talent for soft diplomacy through events might just lead us to a more peaceful and better world.
To Love a Child video clip, Linda is seen next to the stage organising the event at the beginning of the video.
Professional Joe Goldblatt is Emeritus Professor of Planned Events at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, Scotland. His views are his own. For more information about his views visit www.joegoldblatt.scot