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SP: We were all lined up from youngest to oldest, yeah.
JL: It says the president went to the backyard area of the Phillips residence. He had discussions with residents of Lansdowne, and members of the press were there.
SP: You know, one thing that shocked me was there were so many gifts that people sent. There was so much food. There was a case of Tab because, I guess, he drank Tab. And he just ran through our house — he didn’t care about any of that food. And I remember, I’m 13 and I’m thinking, he’s not eating any of our food, look at all this food. So he runs out to the backyard, sits on a stool — mind you, he had this big $1,000-plate event fundraiser in the city to get to — and he just starts taking questions from our neighbors.
JL: And your brother got to ask a question — your older brother. You had several college-age siblings.
SP: Five of them were in college.
JL: Five were in college. Who asked the question?
SP: My oldest brother, Joe. He was a grad student at Notre Dame, and he was getting his Ph.D. in economics. So he asked a question about the Federal Reserve, about interest rates, and it made national news because Carter’s answer completely changed what he had said about it before. The fact that he had an opinion about interest rates — and he thought they shouldn’t be raised — was big. He said, “I know the Federal Reserve is supposed to be independent, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t give my opinion.” And so he answered that question. I think my parents were very proud of my brother for asking that question.
JL: Some of this turned into a campaign ad of sorts.
SP: The scene of him greeting my little sister Rachel, who was 9 at the time and very cute, I’m sure, made it into a campaign ad. I looked for that ad recently, but I haven’t been able to find it.
JL: OK. And why your family? Why Lansdowne?
SP: If you read back in the newspaper articles, my mother’s like, “I don’t know why we were chosen.” But then when they talked to the campaign people, there were a number of reasons. One was purely logistical. And then they wanted a family with a priest — but we had a nun, so I guess that worked. My mother was very much active with getting elected to Congress — Congressman Bob Edgar, who was a Democrat in a very, very red county. It’s not red anymore. People don’t remember — 1980, it was very red. They wanted an Irish Catholic family. They wanted a big family, a family with a big yard, and somebody like my mother, who had a lot of connections to the community.
JL: Was it good for your family, this experience?
SP: Absolutely. I mean, I think it’s something that everyone remembers. If I look back at the pictures, I don’t know if they would be able to do that now. I mean, the amount of security was not as intense as it is now. And at one point, he jumps on top of a [limo] and starts waving to the crowd.
JL: Well, Bertha and Joe are not with us any longer — they have passed. Was this a moment they referred to often?
SP: Yeah, I definitely think it was a highlight of their life. They were in their mid-40s at the time. My father had taught for years in the Philadelphia public school system. My mother, she had raised nine kids while at the same time doing a lot of community work. This was somewhat of a reward for her, in a way, when I look back on it.
JL: And looking through some articles, you just recently learned something about your father and how he was feeling leading up to the president’s visit.
SP: Yeah. I guess a reporter had asked him, “Do you have any criticisms or critiques of the Carter administration?” And my father was really polite about it. He said, “I don’t feel comfortable critiquing someone I’m about to welcome into my home as a guest.”
JL: Susan Phillips, thanks so much. What a unique experience.
SP: Thank you.