The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Secret service: Operator 16 revealed to be volunteer, 99
D.C. native has worked for four presidents, calling it a privilege.
WASHINGTON — Let’s say you decide to call the White House and weigh in on the issues of the day. Chances are you may be on hold for a while, but when the line finally picks up, you’ll be greeted by a soothing voice to take your comment.
If you are really lucky, you’ll get Operator 16, who is not allowed to give her name. But we’ll let you in on a secret: That’s 99-year-old Louise Griffin, who’s been volunteering at the executive mansion for 26 years.
“Good morning,” she says. “This is the comment line. May I have your comment, please?”
In a city divided along partisan lines, Griffin is nonpolitical and optimistic.
Griffin has worked for four presidents and thinks it’s a privilege to be part of history, whoever is in office.
“You meet different people from all over the world,” she says. “And it was so nice to know and hear what they had to say and how wonderful they thought it was. You know, there’s nothing like being in the White House. Really.”
Griffin was born Dec. 18, 1919, and has spent her entire life in Washington. The fifth of six children, she decided she was going to be a teacher when she was in fourth grade.
There was a stint working for the Department of the Army during World War II, a few years at Howard University studying for her master’s in education, then a career as a teacher and an assistant principal in D.C. public schools, plus marriage and three kids.
In 1993, when the Washington Calligraphers Guild announced that the White House needed more volunteers, Griffin raised her hand.
She showed up three or four days a week; she was so good that her supervisors vied to keep her in their offices.
Eventually, she landed in the call center taking comments and discovered that all those years as a teacher were great preparation for that job.
The years have flown by. Griffin gave up some of her duties because they required so much standing. She’s now the oldest volunteer, a title that her colleagues don’t let her forget, and spends every Monday working the phones.
But at home she is surrounded by the White House every day. The living room desk holds photos of Griffin and the historic figures she has served, and her scrapbooks are filled with White House Christmas cards, programs from state visits and letters from presidents wishing her a “Happy Birthday” — the latest from Trump with his distinctive signature slashed across the bottom.
“I am inspired by the strength and selflessness you have exhibited throughout your life, and I am grateful for your more than 25 years of volunteer service at the White House. Thank you for your tireless dedication to helping ensure that the voices of the American people are heard.”