president – Gary Bennett Publishing

Frederick County’s mysterious claim to presidential fame

By Gary Bennett

President Reagan with Richard Allen at a working luncheon at Camp David during a visit of President Jose Lopez Portillo of Mexico in 1981.

This article appears in the February 12, 2026 issue of Frederick News-Post’s “72 Hours” entertainment magazine.

Located within Catoctin Mountain Park in northern Frederick County, Camp David is a rare national historic site that virtually no American ever gets to see.

Many visitors have been close to the secluded enclave — hiking at Cunningham Falls or traveling Route 77 near Thurmont — without ever laying eyes on it. Camp David spans roughly 125 acres and is protected by about 200 Marines on any given day. There is intentionally no signage directing visitors to its location.

Mysterious, perhaps, but every president since Franklin Roosevelt has used the camp for business or pleasure — more often the latter. Within its confines, presidents and their guests have debated world affairs and enjoyed golf, tennis, bowling, swimming, skeet shooting, horseback riding, basketball, wallyball or movie nights in a private theater.

Now more than 80 years old, Camp David began modestly. Completed by the Works Progress Administration in 1940, it was originally known as Hi-Catoctin and served as a federal retreat.

In 1942, Franklin Roosevelt sought relief from Washington’s humid summers, appropriated the retreat and renamed it “Shangri-La” after the fictional kingdom in “Lost Horizon.” Presidents have been showing off the site ever since, and more than 50 heads of state have visited.

The following stories come from Michael Giorgione, who served as Camp David’s commander under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, as recounted in his book “Inside Camp David.”

According to Giorgione, “One head of state, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, huddled there with President Roosevelt in 1943 to pore over plans for the invasion of Normandy. Since the camp is just a short drive from Thurmont, the leaders drove to the [now defunct] Cozy Restaurant so Churchill could see what a jukebox looked like. He handed the stunned owner some coins for the jukebox and bought a beer.”

Roosevelt enjoyed sitting on the porch, often with guests, sipping whiskey and smoking cigars. He even had an extra-wide door installed outside his bedroom, opening like a drawbridge, to allow him to exit quickly in his wheelchair in case of fire.

President Harry Truman seldom visited, preferring trips to Key West and the “Southern White House.” Even so, he added steam heat to the presidential lodge, allowing the retreat to be used year-round.

President Dwight Eisenhower was a frequent visitor and is credited with renaming the retreat after his grandson David, though it retains the official government name Naval Support Facility Thurmont. An avid golfer, Eisenhower built a compact four-hole golf course and enjoyed grilling steaks outside his cabin. He famously hosted Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev there in 1959.

Presidents Kennedy and Johnson used Camp David sparingly.

John F. Kennedy visited primarily for consultations with cabinet members, members of Congress and former President Eisenhower during the Cuban Missile Crisis and after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. He enjoyed swimming in the heated pool. Giorgione recounts an embarrassing incident in which overheated water left a sheen of melted asphalt on Kennedy’s face — an episode the president handled with humor.

Lyndon B. Johnson preferred his Texas ranch but Lady Bird Johnson loved Camp David’s flowers and peaceful setting. “I leave my troubles outside the gate,” she once said. Johnson nevertheless used the retreat for meetings with advisers about the Vietnam War.

Richard Nixon enjoying the great outdoors at Camp David in 1972.

President Richard Nixon was a frequent visitor, averaging about one visit every two weeks during his five years in office. He favored Camp David’s quiet during the Vietnam War and Watergate era and enjoyed tennis, bowling — often alone — and playing piano. Nixon was described by Giorgione as “stand-offish,” though “Mrs. Nixon was very nice.” Nixon made more modifications than any other president, including adding an hourglass-shaped pool at Aspen cabin and building Laurel, an entertainment cabin often featured in the media.

President Gerald Ford, by contrast, was remembered fondly. “He was a prince. He and his wife were great,” Giorgione wrote, adding that they were “just like you and me.” Ford often ate lunch with staff in the mess hall and enjoyed walking in the woods, followed by Secret Service agents. Betty Ford loved the flowers and regularly thanked those who tended them.

President Jimmy Carter spent limited time at Camp David but hosted its most consequential event — the Camp David Accords. In 1978, Carter personally moderated peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, leading to the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty and a Nobel Peace Prize. Carter was described as cordial to staff, enjoyed woodworking and took walks with his daughter Amy.

President Ronald Reagan was a frequent visitor who recorded his weekly radio addresses from the camp. He especially enjoyed horseback riding and movie nights.

President George H.W. Bush often used humor in notes about camp maintenance. “Mike — the toilet in the presidential bathroom is not responding to presidential commands,” he once wrote to Commander Mike Berry. In 1992, Bush’s daughter Dorothy was married at Camp David — the first wedding held there. Bush installed a regulation horseshoe pit and enjoyed playing wallyball with staff.

President Bill Clinton visited infrequently, averaging only a few trips per year. He attempted, unsuccessfully, to broker a peace agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 1993. The Clintons enjoyed walking the tree-lined paths.

President George W. Bush was a regular presence, spending hundreds of days at Camp David. He hosted foreign leaders, planned responses to the Sept. 11 attacks and enjoyed basketball and card games. Giorgione recounts Bush’s concern that his bed was uneven, prompting an exhaustive investigation — including Giorgione himself lying on the bed to test it. At the end of his second term, Bush refurbished the basketball court, Leatherwood, for incoming President Barack Obama.

President Barack Obama found Camp David exquisitely beautiful and hosted the Group of Eight summit there in 2012 after protests ruled out Chicago. A basketball enthusiast, he made frequent use of the court.

President Joe Biden visited about once every three or four weeks during his term, often bringing extended family. He enjoyed relaxing, playing games and occasionally hosting high-level policy discussions.

Donald Trump spent little time at Camp David, preferring Mar-a-Lago or his Bedminster property. “You know how long you’d like it? For about 30 minutes,” he once told a reporter. He did not host foreign dignitaries there and later canceled plans to host Taliban leaders.

George W. Bush at Christmas time at Camp David, 2005

•••

Camp David Presidents’ Day Quiz

Do Democratic or Republican presidents tend to visit Camp David more often? Answer: Republican presidents

Which president visited the most times? Answer: Reagan

Which president was most like “one of the guys” at Camp David? Answer: Ford

Which president hosted Camp David’s seminal event, the Camp David Accords? Answer: Carter

Which president installed the first golf course at Camp David? Answer: Eisenhower

Which presidents played basketball at Camp David? Answer: George W. Bush and Obama

Which president didn’t care for Camp David at all? Answer: Trump

Which president gave Camp David its current name? Answer: Eisenhower

Which president enjoyed bowling at Camp David? Answer: Nixon

Which president enjoyed playing wallyball at Camp David? Answer: George H.W. Bush

How Jimmy Carter did it

By Gary Bennett

After Jimmy Carter died December 29 at age 100, much was made of his remarkable post-presidency, and rightfully so. He not only lived longer and spent more time out of office than any other ex-president, he carved out an extraordinary charitable and statesmanship portfolio for himself that culminated in the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

In 1976 I was a young political science major at a small liberal arts college in Maryland. My professors spent countless hours discussing Jimmy Carter’s rise to the presidency and his four years inhabiting the office, which happened to coincide exactly with my college career.

I feel super qualified to give my two cents here.

I decided that Carter was an undeniably attractive candidate. He was governor of a large southern state, even so was untainted nationally by racist or segregationist policies, was relatively young and active, had a brilliant naval career, was a businessman, and perhaps most importantly, had an “everyman” quality about him.

Carter’s timing was impeccable, too.

In 1976 the country was still reeling from Vietnam, Watergate and Richard Nixon’s resignation. Oil shortages were rampant. The economy was in free-fall. Trust of government was at an all-time low. Republicans oversaw this mess, and Washington democrats had no answers either.

Jerry Ford was in the White House, but he had never been elected to that post. He hadn’t even been elected vice-president. Many saw Ford as a best-case temporary caretaker and worst-case presidential imposter.

To me, Ford seemed like a nice enough guy. He appeared to be a loving husband and father, was purported to be a Christian, was moderate in temperament and his politics and had lots of government experience after a long career in Congress. Not too bad; I could have voted for him.

But then he did the unthinkable: he pardoned Richard Nixon. Most of the country did not want that.

I do believe Ford truly wanted to “end our long national nightmare” as he said, get the country moving again and give some peace to Nixon. This act of political courage was probably the right thing to do, but as most pundits now agree, almost certainly cost Ford the election in 1976.

That was not clear at the time, however.

Polls insisted the election was going to be tight, and they were right. During the primary season of 1976, Ford came out swinging, doing all he could to hold onto his job. He somehow fended off an aggressive challenge by Ronald Reagan and went on to accept his party’s nomination for president that summer.

Into this swirling, unsettled political mess came an unknown governor and peanut farmer from Georgia named Jimmy Carter. He started off 1976 as one of many democrats vying for the nomination. Think of the dozen or so republicans who competed for the republican nomination in 2016 before Trump emerged. That’s how it was for the democrats in 1976. As Trump did in 2016, Carter survived primary season, picking off his competitors little by little until there was no alternative.

Along with good timing, there may have never been a luckier politician than Carter.

There was no de facto leader of the democratic party in 1976 who would be the natural heir apparent to the White House like Ronald Reagan was for the republicans in 1980. George McGovern was not a good option; he was swamped by Nixon in 1972. Hubert Humphrey lost narrowly to Nixon in 1968 and was the choice of the party apparatus, but he chose not to run. Teddy Kennedy was scandal-ridden and not an option.

Carter was unknown, but he was the only large state governor, other than ultra-liberal Jerry Bown of California, to run in a year when the electorate was looking for an outsider. Governors were attractive. The other choices were all long-time Washington insiders: Mo Udall, Birch Baye, Lloyd Bentsen, Frank Church, Fred Harris, Henry “Scoop” Jackson and Sargent Shriver. They were sometimes chided as the “seven dwarfs.”

None of these politicians came off as trustworthy. Carter did. He wisely embraced his “outsider” image to perfection and hammered away at it in commercials and debates, telling us he would never lie to us. He eventually emerged as the easy democratic winner.

Not so for the republicans. Reagan took his candidacy all the way to the convention floor and nearly upended Ford. This bitter rift damaged the republican party and, along with the Nixon baggage, was too much to overcome.

Even with all these advantages, Carter eked out only a narrow win over Ford, 297 to 240 electoral votes. The popular vote was 51% to 49% in Carter’s favor.

That part of history is well known. What is not so well known is how Carter rose to the governorship of Georgia, thereby positioning himself for this improbable presidential run.

The answer is he leveraged a superior intellect and ambition with good old-fashioned hard work. Carter, much like Harry Truman, used county-wide community service activities, numerous business contacts statewide, and his national naval contacts to become a well-known activist and rising star in his state. As a born-again Christian and church leader he was also well known and respected among Southern Baptists who dominated Georgia politics.

His resume was almost pitch-perfect for the times.

He received a B.S. degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. He served in the Navy from 1947 to 1953 as a submariner, serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific, rising to the rank of lieutenant. He completed graduate work in reactor technology and nuclear physics. He served as senior officer of the crew on the nuclear submarine Seawolf.

When his father died in 1953, he resigned his naval commission and moved back to Georgia, taking over the Carter farm. He quickly became a leader in the community, serving on county boards that supervised education, the hospital authority, and the library. In 1962 he won election to the Georgia Senate. He lost his first gubernatorial campaign in 1966, but won the next one, becoming Georgia’s 76th governor on January 12, 1971.

Carter famously declared in his inaugural address as governor that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” This was a shocking pronouncement for a southern governor at the time and came after months of wisely downplaying his feelings about discrimination during the election.

He was ineligible for a second term in 1975 so began planning his run for president. His moderate democratic policies, ability to get southern votes, and ability to champion social justice positioned him well in 1976.

And, as they say, the rest is history.

For the Good of the Country, Time to Move Forward

As seen in the Frederick News-Post, 12/11/2020.

The best thing that could have happened, happened.

This is hard to say as a proud democrat but no, I’m not talking about the election of Joe Biden as 46^th president of the United States. I’m referring to the election of a centrist democratic president along with republicans having a good shot of hanging onto a thin majority in the Senate and adding a few more seats in the House. This configuration screams, almost demands, governing from the center and looking for compromise. I believe Mr. Biden has a golden opportunity to do just that. I believe that is where his heart is, and I believe that is where America’s heart really is.

It won’t be easy. There are loud and charismatic voices coming from his left who are just spoiling for a fight and wishing for payback. The same goes for the far right. Some on both sides want to win at all costs. It’s “their way or the highway.” I hope and pray he resists both. I believe most Americans are yearning for government to work together, to find common ground and embrace compromise. These activities should be seen as a badge of honor, not a shortcoming. Mr. Biden is using those words already, and that is a good sign. We should reward politicians who take this stance and marginalize the fringes on both sides who are harming America with their recalcitrance.

Along with the divisive rhetoric, I believe a main reason we have felt so out of sorts the past four years is that Mr. Trump attempted to govern from the hard right, ignoring the 50/50 split in our country. Smart politicians would have held out an olive branch to the other side, and most new presidents do. We got none of that from Mr. Trump. He did not receive a mandate to govern this way, but he gleefully went ahead anyway, enabled by Congressional republicans who could have reigned him in and cheered on by Fox News and his adoring fans, insulting and demonizing his opponents along the way, and by proxy, more than half of America. He has now paid the price for that.

We should never forget that our government was designed by the framers to move ahead slowly, not in fits and starts like we have over the past four years. We’re supposed to compromise. I’m asking this new democratic administration to take a bullet for the good of the country. Don’t think about payback. Think about progress. Mr. Biden is right—we are not enemies. Let’s accept that we all love this country and try to move ahead.

I Get it Now: Greatness is in the Details!

The president operates at a level mere mortals just can’t understand.

What with the raging pandemic, struggling economy, and racial injustice, you’d think that would be more than enough on the plate of any president. Ahh, but we don’t have just any president. We are blessed with a president who is more than willing and able to handle any issue, large or small, that can benefit from his attention. And that is most of them!

Consider this: You watched in awe as our scholarly president straightened us all out on the need to leave those confederate statues alone because, you know, they represent our glorious past. You giggled nervously with delight as he upbraided NASCAR and that ungrateful Bubba Wallace for having the temerity to find a noose in his garage and then make everyone aware of it. You could hardly believe your eyes when he came to the rescue of Goya beans, who any cook worth their salt will tell you is the most excellent, right-leaning bean available and the only one worthy of display in the oval office. And you thanked your lucky stars when he, perhaps most creatively of all, brought to light the brilliant musings of the most underutilized political analyst of our time, fellow game show host Chuck Woolery of the middling 90’s TV show, Love Connection.

Pure genius. We don’t have to understand.

But like any other superhero working today such as Captain America or Tucker Carlson, our president handles so many things humbly and out of sight that even he forgets about them. So, as a public service and to recognize our selfless leader who would not want to bother your feeble minds with such trivialities, I present here the other issues he won’t let go of, I mean, is handling on our behalf.

Since Black Lives Matter is obviously a hate symbol, the movement will hereby be referred to as ‘Stupid Is as Stupid Does.’ (The president is currently trying to locate Forrest Gump to reserve all rights.)
As a nod to Native Americans and a sly reference to a healthy spray-on tan, all sports teams currently using Indians, Braves, R**skins, or Chiefs will be immediately renamed to Orangemen.
The official list of sh**hole counties will be updated to include those ingrates Mexico, Canada, and EU. EU (pronounced “yew”) is one of those newish countries in Europe that won’t pay their NATO bills.
The president’s new hit action show, Law and Order Portland, starring, well, we’re not sure who’s starring in this, is doing record numbers, the likes of which have never been seen. Unfortunately, Portland’s mayor, who is currently recovering from an accidental lung problem at Portland General, has revoked the filming permit.
In a long overdue tribute to our proud confederate heritage, the big, beautiful Southern border barrier will soon be reconstituted as a ‘stone wall.’
Expert jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts will be contracted to reassemble all confederate statues that have lost their way. No nursing home or third grade class will be spared in this exhaustive search.
Beginning immediately all cancer and heart disease screenings in America will be curtailed. We learned our lesson with all those COVID-19 tests that made us look so bad! Hair loss screenings exempted, of course.
As a measure to keep attendance at a reasonable level, all frat boy COVID-19 parties will be moved to Mondays since nothing much goes on that night anyway.
All future redactions in subpoenas, indictments, telephone call logs, and presidential daily briefings will change from black to white, because, well, you know.
In a related move, white out will be made mandatory at all secretarial schools thereby bringing back good-paying manufacturing jobs to produce this handy, underutilized product.
Vladimir Putin will be issued immediately a lifetime frequent traveler’s pass to Mar-a-Lago with the presidential suite renamed in his honor.
In a related move and after a long negotiation, Bounty paper towels will be named official paper towel of the Taliban. They will be shipped to Russia who will make sure they are received in Afghanistan in a timely manner.
Black Flag will be retired as official pesticide of the White House grounds, because of, well, you know. Plus, the lingering residue keeps Stephen Miller from getting to work on time.
Governors Ducey, Abbott, and DeSantis will be named governors for life in Arizona, Texas, and Florida, respectively. The president really likes the hilarious ‘Who’s on First’ routine the Texas governor performs with that fat guy Costello.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg is hereby ordered to immediately undergo experimental COVID-19 testing as a service to her country. What, too soon? She’s in the hospital all the time anyway!
Quaker Oats Company and MARS, Inc., respectively, have been ordered to leave lovable brands Aunt Jemimah pancake mix and Uncle Ben’s converted rice alone in order to preserve America’s proud carbohydrate heritage.
To improve efficiency, all elementary, middle and high school back-to-school nights will now be relocated to the nearest urgent care clinic.
Along with Ghislaine Maxwell, the president is proud to pass along his best wishes to Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, Prince Andrew, Tik-Tok’s Faizal Siddiqui, congressional powerhouses Ted Yoho and Louis Gohmert, and all former White House aides currently spending time in prison.
In an effort to broaden the number and types of medical voices heard on the current pandemic hoax, the president will not only listen to the crazy lady witch doctor from Texas but also Doogie Howser, MD, Bones McCoy, and Dr. Dre.
Teddy Roosevelt’s nose and eyeglasses will be slightly relocated at Mount Rushmore to make room for any future presidents who find themselves out of work, indicted, and in need of a little pick me up.
Along with moving Election Day from November 3^rd, New Year’s Day will move to May 1^st to take advantage of better weather and Columbus Day to December 25^th to give it the attention it deserves. Juneteenth and MLK Day are hereby scrapped.
Last but not least, last-century game show icons Bob Eubanks, Wink Martindale, and the late Tom Kennedy will join Chuck Woolery as informal “kitchen cabinet” advisors to the president. And, since we’re talking kitchen cabinets, Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor is under consideration as well.