Cathy Jackman
Posted on 06/11/2004 1:50:12 PM PDT by Constitution Day
Cathy Jackman
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Somehow, somewhere in the hustle and bustle of preparing for a funeral, Cathy Jackman found the time to call her mother in Fayetteville on Thursday.
Within a few hours, Jackman was expecting to again be on national television, wearing a black suit and Army wives' scarf while walking arm-in-arm with first lady Laura Bush.
Jackman, a 1970 Terry Sanford High School graduate, has escorted President Bush and his wife at all of President Reagan's funeral proceedings.
Jackman's husband has had an even bigger job. Maj. Gen. Galen B. Jackman, the commander of the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, is in charge of coordinating President Reagan's entire funeral and with escorting Nancy Reagan almost everywhere she goes.
 Pat Dowd talks to her daughter Cathy Jackman as she watches mourners pay respects to President Reagan on television.
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So please excuse Cathy Jackman's mother, Pat Dowd, if she seems a little bleary-eyed these days. She has been glued to the television - watching her daughter and son-in-law - since President Reagan died Saturday.
The tall, distinguished general with the white hair seen at Nancy Reagan's side all week is Dowd's son-in-law. The petite blonde seen sitting next to Laura and President Bush is her daughter.
Turn on your television and chances are you'll see Galen Jackman escorting Nancy Reagan somewhere - possibly during the procession at the Washington National Cathedral.
Dowd and her other daughter, Pam D'Alessandro, couldn't be more proud.
Proud of the important positions the Jackmans hold in this history-making event. Prouder still that Cathy Jackman has managed to call them whenever she finds a free moment.
Last Friday evening, Dowd said, the Jackmans were attending a big affair in New York when they received word that President Reagan's death was imminent.
The Jackmans were whisked from the gathering and raced by motorcade to the airport. Galen Jackman was flown to California to be by Mrs. Reagan's side, Dowd said.
Planning, preparing and pulling off a presidential funeral is a challenging job.
 Maj. Gen. Galen Jackman escorts Nancy Reagan on Wednesday as she arrives at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
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"With Nancy Reagan, mainly because this was the love of her life, everything has to be absolutely perfect," D'Alessandro said.
The job wasn't made any easier by the fact that Galen Jackman has held the title of commanding general of the U.S. Army Military District of Washington for only a year. His predecessor had been practicing for presidential funerals throughout the past decade.
But so far, at least, everything has gone without a hitch, Dowd and D'Alessandro said.
The Jackmans may be novices at presidential funerals, but they have had plenty of experience with another type. Both preside almost daily at services for fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery, Dowd said. She said her daughter escorted Laura Bush last month at the Memorial Day ceremony.
As Dowd and D'Alessandro talk, the phone rings. It's Cathy Jackman, ready to provide another update.
It's nothing new for Cathy Jackman to call her mother two and three times a day. She's been doing it since Dowd had back surgery two years ago and came to live with D'Alessandro and her husband, Robert.
But the calls have taken on added significance this week as a daughter explains the nuances of leading a funeral that has captured the world's attention.
Just before Dowd hangs up the telephone, she laughs and leaves her daughter with a request:
"If you get a chance, tell Laura and President Bush I said hello."
Do you have any idea of how we might thank the General for is service to President Reagan and the First Lady?
Any address or anything? Maybe forward this thread to him and his wife?
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