THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 18, 1994 TAG: 9409160258
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
Whitey Groves had planned to give a speech before thousands of people on the South Lawn of the White House last Monday but had to settle for speaking to just one person - President Clinton.
The 76-year-old Chesapeake resident got a private audience with the president after an early morning plane crash outside the Oval Office forced the scheduled 1 p.m. ceremony to be delayed and moved.
While the change in plans proved to be serendipitous for Groves, he said Thursday that he was so nervous he can't remember what he told the president.
``I remember he kind of giggled at something I said. He was really friendly,'' recalled Groves. ``And the Oval Office is absolutely beautiful.''
Groves was one of dozens of Hampton Roads residents who traveled to the White House last week for the AmeriCorps National Launch. AmeriCorps is President Clinton's new domestic Peace Corps, which he modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s. The CCC boys, as they were called, helped to revitalize the nation's roads, parks and bridges.
Groves, whose camp built the Appalachian Trail, was chosen from 100 CCC alumni across the nation to speak during the swearing-in ceremony of thousands of AmeriCorps members. Clinton wants AmeriCorps members to serve communities in the areas of public safety (crime prevention and control), education (school readiness and success), environment (restoring neighborhoods and public lands) and human needs (home and community-based health care).
``I didn't know why I was selected but I was just so cotton-pickin' thrilled to be there,'' Groves said. ``This country needs youth. I'm hoping this AmeriCorps turns into what the old CCC was.''
Irving Jones of Virginia Beach and Nancy Tatterson of Norfolk were among those volunteers who were sworn in Monday at the White House. While they are new members of AmeriCorps they've been volunteering for several years through the Volunteers in Service to America program. VISTA pays volunteers a monthly stipend to work at agencies that qualify for federal grants.
One such agency is the Mid-Atlantic Self Help And Resource Exchange, a Norfolk-based program where $30 worth of food is exchanged for $13 and two hours of community service. Tatterson has been a host site developer at SHARE since 1989; Jones since 1992.
The VISTA program is now operating under the AmeriCorps umbrella. VISTA volunteers can still be paid a stipend but now have the option of accepting college or vocational tuition. The mostly college-age AmeriCorps members will serve their communities as full-time volunteers for one or two years in exchange for school tuition or student loan repayment.
But Jones, who's retired, and Tatterson, who quit her job four years ago, have no plans to go back to school.
``I want to make my community the best it can be,'' said Tatterson. ``There are people who don't understand how I can give up a good job to do this. But I believe in the program. It was a need I had to give back to my community.''
Besides, earning a trip to the White House and a meeting with the president is a nice perk, too.
After the ceremony Monday, Bill and Hillary Clinton walked into the crowd and started shaking hands. Jones was able to shake hands with both of them and said he couldn't get over how ``big'' they both are.
``He's a big man and she's taller than she looks in pictures,'' he said. ``They're an attractive couple. They look better in real life.''
Tatterson said she let a girl who was standing behind her shake the president's hand because the girl was so excited about meeting him.
``President Clinton reached over to grab my hand and I pulled the girl's hand over instead,'' said Tatterson, smiling. ILLUSTRATION: File photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Whitey Groves is an alumnus of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
by CNB