Class Note 1997
Issue
May-June 2024
On January 31 the class of 1997 launched its first installment of “How Did They Do It?”—a live virtual gathering featuring different classmates each time talking about how they got started in their careers, major milestones along the way, and some of their funny stories. Chris Rhodes interviewed Jim Meyer and took questions from the ’97s watching on Zoom.
Jim has worked for the Secret Service for more than 23 years and shared some of his amazing experiences. Jim started in the Las Vegas, Nevada, field office and is now based out of Houston in operations. Jim has 42 states and 28 countries under his belt and has protected seven former and current presidents.
“Every day is different,” he said. “Every protection assignment is different.”
Jim recalled visiting the College in 2011 when he was on the detail of former First Lady Barbara Bush, who was with former President George H.W. Bush for his awarding of an honorary degree. Jim even wore a Dartmouth tie for the occasion and accompanied Mrs. Bush to a puzzle factory in White River Junction, Vermont. He said every summer when he was on the Bush detail in Kennebunkport, Maine, he and his family would head to Hanover to visit the College.
Some of his favorite sights on his adventures were the Egyptian pyramids he saw on a trip with First Lady Jill Biden and the Taj Mahal, which he visited while in India on former President Donald Trump’s detail. He also loved crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 with the Bushes.
When asked what it is like at the watercooler, he said political opinions cannot be part of the job. “We protect the office, not the person.” He added that through time “you learn the little quirks of different protectees and what they like and what they don’t like.”
He also said that popular depictions of the Secret Service are not necessarily accurate. Although he did like the film In the Line of Fire, he said Clint Eastwood’s character “did the job of five different agents that we would do on a particular advance for the president.”
Jim is now busy preparing for the first presidential debate, scheduled to take place at Texas State University in September.
Look for more editions of “How Did They Do It?” throughout the year.
Take care, everyone. Please send your news.
—Jason Casell, 19018 Salado Canyon, San Antonio, TX 78258; jhcasell@gmail.com
Jim has worked for the Secret Service for more than 23 years and shared some of his amazing experiences. Jim started in the Las Vegas, Nevada, field office and is now based out of Houston in operations. Jim has 42 states and 28 countries under his belt and has protected seven former and current presidents.
“Every day is different,” he said. “Every protection assignment is different.”
Jim recalled visiting the College in 2011 when he was on the detail of former First Lady Barbara Bush, who was with former President George H.W. Bush for his awarding of an honorary degree. Jim even wore a Dartmouth tie for the occasion and accompanied Mrs. Bush to a puzzle factory in White River Junction, Vermont. He said every summer when he was on the Bush detail in Kennebunkport, Maine, he and his family would head to Hanover to visit the College.
Some of his favorite sights on his adventures were the Egyptian pyramids he saw on a trip with First Lady Jill Biden and the Taj Mahal, which he visited while in India on former President Donald Trump’s detail. He also loved crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 with the Bushes.
When asked what it is like at the watercooler, he said political opinions cannot be part of the job. “We protect the office, not the person.” He added that through time “you learn the little quirks of different protectees and what they like and what they don’t like.”
He also said that popular depictions of the Secret Service are not necessarily accurate. Although he did like the film In the Line of Fire, he said Clint Eastwood’s character “did the job of five different agents that we would do on a particular advance for the president.”
Jim is now busy preparing for the first presidential debate, scheduled to take place at Texas State University in September.
Look for more editions of “How Did They Do It?” throughout the year.
Take care, everyone. Please send your news.
—Jason Casell, 19018 Salado Canyon, San Antonio, TX 78258; jhcasell@gmail.com