Lady of Perfect Penmanship

When Judith Henry wanted to help her country, she and a few of her North East, Md., (pop. 2,733) friends didn’t just wonder what senior citizens could do—they went to the White House and offered their services.

Getting there was their biggest challenge. Daunted by the more than two-hour drive, they opted for another route. They boarded a train in nearby Perryville, caught the subway in Washington, and walked the last couple of blocks to the White House office where, they had heard, volunteers do a little of this and a little of that. Before long, Henry was addressing letters for presidents.

Eventually, the trip got to be too much for the other ladies, but Henry, who gives her age as “80-something,” is still going. She makes the pilgrimage to the White House at least once a month, sometimes two and three times, to do the same volunteer job she’s been doing for more than 20 years and for four presidents—addressing congratulatory letters from the White House.

“I guess they like the way I write,” Henry laughs. “I taught myself to do calligraphy, and that’s how I address the envelopes. They test your handwriting before they let you do it.”

Henry’s penmanship has certainly been a bonus, but that’s not the only reason the White House folks like her. “She does do very nice calligraphy, but she’s a lot more than that,” says Carolyn Atkinson, director of White House Comments Line and Greetings Office. “She’s cheerful and extremely dedicated. She’s terrific, a very special person.”

Henry can’t imagine how many envelopes she’s scripted over the years, but she’s been busy. “When President Bush came in, we had 75,000 letters go out. I even brought work home,” Henry says, pointing to a tote bag stuffed with pale beige envelopes. “Thank goodness I’m not the only one doing this.”

A faithful volunteer, Henry considers herself a Republican, but even when the Democrats headed up the nation, she showed up for work. “I really enjoy it,” she says. “I’ve made friends over the years, and I’m always looking to see if I’m addressing an envelope to someone I know. I haven’t yet.”

Her home along the Big Elk River is adorned with treasures she’s acquired through her lifetime. A Christmas ornament for every year of service at the White House sparkles against the dark wood in her dining room. An American flag with 39 stars, passed on from her family, hangs from an overhead loft, and a large hollow ostrich egg from her days in Africa rests above a curio cabinet. (Henry, a 1941 graduate of Vassar College, played on the All-American Field Hockey Team that went to Africa in 1950.)

“While the team was in Africa, we were all curious about the ostriches. I actually rode one, and we cooked up an egg with a lot of milk,” Henry says of the ostrich egg that fed her and 11 other girls of the team.

Though Henry’s volunteerism stretches all the way to the capital, it begins in her community. Some days, she sports her Upper Bay Museum staff shirt and guides visitors through the small museum perched along the North East River. Other days, she volunteers at the Adult Day Care Center or helps serve a free lunch at St. Mary Anne’s Church.

Summertime often finds her behind the wheel of one of her Packards—a car collection she and her late husband, Howard, started—chauffeuring folks around for a buck or two to raise money for charities. During the school year, Henry takes part in a mentoring program at North East Elementary School. “That’s my favorite.” Henry says. “I just love working with the children.”

And the children love her. “Every child Judy has ever worked with loves her. They say how beautiful she is,” says Susan Whitcraft, North East Elementary School counselor.

“She’s been with us since nearly the beginning—1995. Judy goes above and beyond,” Whitcraft says. “She often takes her mentor child to ballets, fishing, and cultural enrichment programs. We’re very lucky to have her.”

Tracy Leinberger-Leonardi writes frequently for American Profile.

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