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A Little Advice from Jackie

By Rusty Thomas

July 30, 2015: Three months before the 1992 Convention at Madison Square Garden, I had yet come up with a decor theme and I was getting very nervous about it. I had been sent pictures of the years past via the DNC Finance Committee, and all I could see were red/white/blue ribbons and colored carnations.

My role at the Convention and all of the DNC's official events were covered in the papers and one day while I was having lunch at the Park Avenue Cafe, Jackie walked in and saw me sitting with 3 friends at a 4-top. My back was to her but she walked over and as my friend's eyes got wider and wider I turned around and stood up to greet her. She was so excited that I had landed the Convention and right away asked what I was going to do.

I had to admit to her that I had nothing concrete even at that late date because I was so confused with all of the red/white/blue, what I had seen from the DNC what with all the ribbons and carnations, and what to do because it was a chaotic color scheme to me that I couldn't produce as elegant. Immediately, and I mean lighting-fast, she looked me in the eye and said, "Do what the French would do for a national event like this....."use red/white/gold, and blue/white/gold color combinations and let the US flag do the rest".

I had a French artist paint hundreds of cache-pots that I filled with native flowering New York State plants as I was so into the environment even then. I presented this set to Hillary at the Convention. I owe JBKO much for just walking into the Cafe that day. She saved me.

Image copyright Rusty Thomas.

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