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Baldridge served on the U.S. embassy staff in Dakar this summer
12:15 p.m., Aug. 7, 2003--When President George W. Bush arrived in Dakar, Senegal, July 7, on his tour of African nations, UD sophomore Annie Baldridge was on the airport tarmac to officially greet him and shake his hand as he debarked from Air Force One. She also greeted Laura Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and the entourage traveling with them.
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Anne Katherine Baldridge, AS 2006 |
This summer, Baldridge served as acting community liaison officer for the U.S. embassy in Senegal, where her father is U.S. Treasury representative.
The embassy has a summer hire program for college students whose parents work at the embassy, based on their interests and background, and I was selected as acting community liaison officer, Baldridge said. We did things like publish an American newspaper, arrange for trips for embassy staff and were in charge of hospitality.
From the time Baldridge arrived in Senegal for her summer break, she was involved in the preparations for the presidents five-hour visit. Approximately 600 White House and communication staff, Secret Service and military personnel descended on Dakar prior to the visit, filling all the hotels. We arranged box lunches, shopping and others services for them, Baldridge said.
On the day of the visit, she was at the airport at 4 a.m. as the embassy staff ran through a dress rehearsal of the arrivalgetting flags unfurled and placed, buses organized and labeled, arranging for IDs and passes for persons who were permitted to be present at the airport.
While we there, West African dignitaries from other countries arrived, and I greeted them as well, Baldridge said.
During his stay, Bush met with dignitaries, spoke at an 18th-century slave house and the presidential palace and informally at the airport. By 2 p.m., the long anticipated presidential visit was over.
It was an exciting, fun day, and I was lucky to have had this experience. It also was an historical event--the presidents first stop on his first trip to Africa, Baldridge said.
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A political science and journalism major with a strong interest in Russian, Baldridge said that UD is the best fit for her. The daughter of William and Mary Baldridge, she has lived in several different places, most recently in Kazakhstan and in Switzerland, where she attended boarding school. She graduated from Langley High School in McLean, Va., where the family has recently returned to live.
But, her summer job has brought Baldridge some attention and recognition. When I left Senegal to come home, people at the airport kept coming up to me and calling me the White House girl, she said.
Article by Sue Moncure
Photos courtesy of Annie Baldridge
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