White House History Quarterly Celebrates Milestone 75th Issue

Journal examines presidential inauguration traditions and departures from history.

White House History Quarterly celebrates its 75th issue by examining “Inaugural Traditions.” The cover photo features newly elected President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter walking down Pennsylvania Avenue on January 20, 1977. President Carter had just taken his Oath of Office at the U.S. Capitol. (Image courtesy of White House History Quarterly)

There is one presidential inauguration that is frozen in Mark Ramsdell’s memory—the one he and his peers marched in as Lebanon, New Hampshire, high school band members for newly elected President John F. Kennedy.

The day before the 1961 inauguration was marked by a wicked snowstorm that brought 8 inches of snow and Washington, D.C. to a standstill, weather reports showed. But, for the awe-struck Ramsdell, a clarinetist, it presented a life-changing experience that would eventually set him on a path back to the White House.

But it was the frigid temperatures that remain etched in his mind as he recounted that epic day in an essay pen…