Image 1 / 2
"In mid-October, 1963, I went to Dallas on government business for around two weeks," said Carmelo "Mello" Cottone, a Logan County native who was then working for JFK's administration as coordinator of Congressional Elections at the Democratic National Committee.
He says that while in Dallas he got the distinct impression that there were a variety of very vocal groups that were anti-government. "At the time a crowd had been impolite to Lady Bird Johnson, and Adlai Stevenson was spit upon. I remember General Walker had been shot at while sitting in his living room. So, I came back from the trip and reported that being in Dallas was like being in a hostile foreign country. But it never entered my mind what was to come in November."
Mel was in Washington, approximately two blocks from the White House, on Nov. 23, 1963, in a stock exchange office, when he saw one of the employees rush to a Teletype machine. "For some reason, which I will never truly understand, I had a gut feeling something terrible had happened to President Kennedy. I ran over to the White House where I ran into Jerry Bruno, who had just returned from Dallas as the head advanceman. He and I grabbed each other and just stood in silence."
The world's worst possible news had happened: John Kennedy had been assassinated.
Mel and Bruno joined other Kennedy staffers-all who were in a state of shock-to reminisce about how much Kennedy meant to them and to the country.
Mel and others, including his dearest friends from the advance team, attended the funeral as a group and then had lunch together for the last time.
Meanwhile, the nation mourned.
* * *
Mel continued to work for the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. Although he found a great deal of personal satisfaction working for this administration and being involved in the 1964 presidential campaign, things were not the same. For one thing, Johnson's personality was much different than that of JFK.
Mel stated that, of all candidates and politicians, Johnson was perhaps the most difficult to work with. For example, Johnson insisted that only one side of his face be exposed to the television camera, or to photographers, in any public setting. He apparently thought that one side of his face had certain flaws that should be hidden from view. "As he often told us, he believed that the left side of his face was ugly, so no picture was allowed to be taken that showed the left side."
Also, he required that his speaking podium or pedestal be exactly 47.5-inches tall-no more, no less. "Johnson wanted the podium top to touch his belly button."
Mel told the story that on one particular occasion the best he could find for President Johnson was a 47-inch pedestal. So, to compensate for the half-inch he needed, he put a thin platform beneath the podium. To prevent the podium from being scratched, multiple microphones were attached somewhat loosely.
When the rally commenced and President Johnson began to speak, he struck the podium to emphasize a particular point-and the pedestal shook, causing a loud crash. All but one of the microphones fell off the stand with a thud, and Johnson was noticeably irritated. An Army Signal Corpsman saved the day by holding onto the remaining microphone for the rest of the president's speech.
After the 1964 election, Mel was appointed District Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO.) He was responsible for the states of West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
"It was during this time that I remember working with Earle Queen in getting P.R.I.D.E. of Logan its first grant," Mel recalled.
By 1968, he once again worked for the Kennedys, during Senator Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign, in the delegate operation and as an advanceman.
"I was in California when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. We were all, again, just devastated. I helped on the funeral train from New York to Washington. I escorted Ethel Kennedy on the train while she greeted people.
"Looking back, I think Bobby would have been a great president. I do know that he changed into a warmer and more caring person after his brother's death."
Later, Mel worked with Vice President Hubert Humphrey during his presidential bid.
In addition, he was involved with other national campaigns, including the Senator Muskie campaign, in 1968, for vice president. "I set up his operation from the beginning, hired staff, trained them, and supervised the advance and schedule office."
After the racial riots broke out in 1968, Mel was asked to join the National Urban Coalition, which was composed of leading businessmen like Henry Ford, of Ford Motor Company; Gerald Philippe, of GE; Andrew Heskell, editor of Time Magazine; and labor leaders like Walter Reuther, George Meany, and several leading civic leaders. He worked closely with these officials, and with mayors across America.
"I later joined the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which represented the mayors from the largest cities in America. This gave me an opportunity to travel and get to know the leading local officials throughout the country."
While working with the mayors, he went to law school at night, commuting to Baltimore and traveling over 80,000 miles in four years. "I graduated from the University of Baltimore Law School with a JD in Law. I took and passed the West Virginia State Bar Exam and was admitted to practice law in the state. I considered coming back home to open an office but soon realized that I missed Washington. I returned to Washington and was admitted to practice law there. I became a founder and partner in Linton, Meilds, Reisler and Cottone, a leading firm representing local and state governments and private sector clients in Washington. I still maintain a limited practice in Washington."
He continued to dabble in politics and worked for other campaigns. In 1972, he worked again for Ed Muskie. By 1976, he worked on several trips for the Jimmy Carter campaign.
"Then in 1982, I decided to run in the Democratic primary election for U.S. Senator in Maryland, and came in third in a field of eleven after spending less than $10,000. The Republican incumbent was reelected by a large margin.
"In other years, I worked for Sarge Shriver, Fritz Hollings and even Bill Clinton."
* * *
The role of an advance man has changed over the years. The changes have been substantial since 1968.
"I have talked to advance people during several recent presidential elections and attended many events to see firsthand how things have changed," Mel said. "First and foremost, after Bobby Kennedy's assassination, [since he didn't have Secret Service protection at that time], laws were passed that provided all candidates with Secret Service protection; and nowadays, there is a full time advance and schedule office in the White House recruiting and training staff. "
Where Mel was once responsible for all aspects of a political trip, there is now a full advance team working in unison on any given campaign rally, political event or function. "Now someone is assigned just to luggage detail. Perhaps another advanceman takes care of transportation and scheduling. One person is assigned to the event site, and there may be five or six additional individuals working on other aspects of a particular trip. There will also be multiple Secret Service agents assigned to each location, as well.
"Today's advance team does not deal with old fashioned rallies as we did. Nowadays, most events are held in colleges, or at organizations, where you already have a built-in crowd and the ability to tightly control the circumstances. In many cases, you now need a ticket to get in to the see the candidate; and, in some cases, you have to buy a ticket. Events are planned to appear before 'friendly crowds' and no longer with the general public. The numbers of planned events are now limited to one or two a day, and the candidates take a lot more down time. In contrast, John and Bobby Kennedy went from 6:00 a.m. in the morning until 9:00 p.m. at night, seven days a week, at the height of the campaign."
* * *
On a personal level, Mel Cottone married Barbara Hoffman in 1976. Along with his children, Lisa, Chip, and Jonathan, they resided in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Barbara passed away in 1987 at the age of 46.
"I was a widower for 10 years. Then I met and married Maria Cruz Verduce in 1999, and now live in Whitehouse Station, NJ."
Mel's sister Catherine and her husband, Benny Adkins, and family still live in Verdunville, so he still has roots in Logan and tries to visit often.
"Even though I have had many wonderful experiences including riding with the president on Air Force One, sitting in the President's Box at the Kennedy Center, attending a large number of affairs at the White House, going to inaugural balls and meeting leading figures from around the world
Post a Comment
