Whelan family receives a surprise call on a cold day
Although she’s certainly not a publicity seeker, Rosemary Whelan got a unique opportunity for a conversation with a celebrity last week.
by Marsha Chartrand
The past week has been hard on everyone. Snow, wind, and sub-zero temperatures seemed to go on for endless days. When your son is in a prison camp in Mordovia, Russia, you’re hyper-aware that the conditions here, as bad as they are, likely pale in comparison to what he is experiencing. It’s even more chilling and depressing.
And so it happened that same week Elizabeth Whelan, daughter of Ed and Rosemary Whelan and a quiet but fierce advocate for her brother, Paul, was spending some time in Washington, DC, visiting various people in the State Department and White House. She was hoping to have a few words with President Biden, but knew that would be a slim hope because of his full schedule.
“After lunch my cell phone rang and it was Elizabeth,” said Rosemary Whelan. “She said that she had someone there who would like a few words with me. I had a feeling that it was a new woman on our SPEHA team Elizabeth would probably see in DC, so I had suggested they say hi to each other.
“I said fine and waited a few seconds until a voice came on: “Hi, Rosemary, this is Joe Biden.”
“Well, you can imagine how amazed I was!” Rosemary exclaimed. “I have no idea what I said but my wits caught up with me and I did remember to say “Mr. President,” and not Joe.”
Prior to the phone call, Elizabeth had been with the president awhile discussing what Rosemary described as confidential things. Then he asked if she would like to call her parents, and asked what was the phone number. Elizabeth admitted she didn’t know, as it was stored in her cell phone, which caused some amusement. But the president kindly sent someone out to fetch her purse.
“Apparently, one leaves purses, phones, coats, etc. outside when one visits the Oval Office!!”
Rosemary described her time spent with President Biden as “a delightful, friendly and relaxed conversation.
“If I had known that I was going to speak to someone important, I would have been practicing for a couple of days, writing things down, and changing them. and being nervous.”
It was an exciting and memorable occasion for both Rosemary and Ed, and also for Paul when they told him the next day.
Thank you, Mr. President, for brightening the day of these Manchester residents!
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