White House Cardinal

       After First Lady Laura Bush selected a theme of "All Creatures Great and Small" for the 2002 Christmas tree in the White House Blue Room, a letter was sent to Gov. Wise requesting handcrafted birds indigenous to West Virginia. I recieved a request from the governor to carve a Cardinal, the W.Va. state bird for the Christmas tree. The carving was completed and delivered to Washington on October 1. On December 4, my wife Karen and I attended a reception for the artists from all 50 states at the White House. It was an honor to represent W.Va. in this project and a memory I will keep.

Me, First Lady Laura Bush And Karen