Kineño Remembers: From the King Ranch to the White House

9. Recruited to Washington

C H A P T E R 9 3 Recruited to Washington On a bright sunny day in Lubbock in July 1988, Sharon Nelson entered my office at Texas Tech University and told me a Mr.Robert Tuttle was calling from the White House.Tuttle was the White House director of personnel, and he told me President Reagan was seeking a replacement for William Bennett, who had recently announced his decision to step aside as secretary of education.Tuttle asked if I was interested in being considered for the post. AlthoughIwastakenabackbythequestion,itwasnotthefirsttime I had been approached about the job. Soon after the election of President Reagan in 1981,the Reagan transition team had inquired about my interest in the post. I pointed out to them that I had recently assumed the presidency of Texas Tech University and did not think it appropriate to seek another post so soon. I did not hear from the White House again until I received the call in July 1988. By then the situation was quite different, since I had recently announced my intention to resign as president of TexasTech.I toldTuttle I was not sure of my answer, that I needed to give it some thought and discuss it with my wife. I asked Tuttle to give me the weekend to think it over and that I would call him the following Monday. Peggy and I had planned a trip the next day to Taos, New Mexico, which would give us a weekend with plenty of time to discuss the possibility of a Cabinet appointment without the typical interruptions oc- curring when I was on campus or in Lubbock.As we drove through the beautifulWestTexas plains and into the mountains of New Mexico,we talked about the opportunities and pitfalls the post of secretary of education would present.Peggy and I became excited by the prospect of going to Washington. I reminded Peggy that since President Reagan had only a few months left in his term, I might, if confirmed, have only three or four months to serve in the Cabinet. Although my term of service could be brief, it would be a grand experience and an opportunity to learn about education at the national level. Peggy agreed and said that even if George Bush won the presidency, there was no assurance he would appoint me to his Cabinet. Still, she thought it would be an interesting time,regardless of how long or short my appointment would be.Then she reminded me that President Reagan might not even appoint me to his Cabinet, but it was still an honor to have even been considered. I told Peggy she was right. No matter how brief our stay in Washington , it would give us an opportunity to focus national attention on some of the fundamental needs of education.We had talked a lot about education improvement, and this opportunity gave us a chance to do something besides talk. On Monday I telephoned Tuttle and told him I was indeed interested but had a lot of questions, and I was sure he did as well.Tuttle asked if I could come to Washington the next Sunday afternoon to meet with him at the White House. I checked my calendar and told Tuttle I could make the trip to Washington that week and that I would bring my wife. The following Sunday afternoon Peggy and I were at the White House. In the Office of Personnel we metTuttle,whose job was to screen candidates and recommend Cabinet-level appointments. I immediately liked Tuttle, and during the time we worked together in President Reagan’s administration , I considered him a colleague and a friend. Tuttle told Peggy the interview was going to take time and that there was an empty office across the hall where she would be comfortable . He asked if she brought something to read. Peggy told Tuttle she 206 C H A P T E R 9 wasstudyingfortheNationalCertificationBoardexaminperioperative nursing.She said she would use the empty office and stay out of the way. After making Peggy comfortable in the nearby office, Tuttle and I moved to his office. The initial interview went on more than two hours. He did a thorough job of learning about me and searching for problems and issues in my past life that might be a barrier to my confirmation...