Local student traveled the world in service of presidents

George Le Masurier | • Published November 16, 2009

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It’s always a pleasant surprise to meet graduates of Thurston County schools who have gone on to lead fascinating lives. While attending the presidential gala to raise scholarship funds for Saint Martin’s University, I met the man who cooked former President Richard M. Nixon’s 75th birthday dinner. He also cooked for Pat Nixon’s 76th birthday, all the while traveling the world with the former first couple and becoming Nixon’s personal friend.

Mike Endicott grew up in Tacoma. He learned the game of basketball at a Boys & Girls Club, became a star at Lincoln High School and went to Saint Martin’s on a full-ride scholarship. He had planned to become a teacher and coach until the U.S. Secret Service tapped him in 1965 for a 20-year career protecting presidents and other heads of state.

He’s retired back to Tacoma now, and devoting himself to writing — his first book “Walking with Presidents” published in 2008 — and raising money for his alma mater. Endicott will be cooking a “presidential” meal for about a dozen lucky local residents who successfully bid for the dinner at the recent gala.

No doubt the meal will be accompanied by the chef’s personal stories about going to Moscow with Nixon or to Egypt with Kissinger or the president’s final days at San Clemente.

Since he started offering his Italian dinners six years ago, Endicott has raised more than $80,000 for South Sound charities. So it’s fitting that Saint Martin’s honored Endicott with the distinguished alumni award in 2000 to recognize his lifetime achievements.

TOUGH BUDGET COMING

Gov. Chris Gregoire visited the Olympia Downtown Rotary Club last week and brought a dire warning about the upcoming legislative session: It’s going to be tougher than last year.

The governor doesn’t have the 2010 revenue forecast yet, but she’s predicting a $1.7 billion cut in state spending. With 70 percent of the state budget already committed for debt servicing, K-12 basic education and Medicaid, next year’s cuts will have to come from the remaining 30 percent, or about $9 billion planned for social services, higher education, public safety and health care. To give you some perspective, if the state shut down all its parks and recreation areas, it would save around $340 million. In other words, it’s going to get rough.

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