May 26, 2002 By April Straughters 6 min read

Natalie Orrico and her husband, Steve, were at a loss for words when they recently met President George W. Bush during a reception at the White House. “By the time I actually met him I really did say that much,” Natalie said. “It was scary, if I have to be honest about it. There was a lot of people, a lot of security.”

But the President was not at a loss for words when he laid eyes on Steve, Natalie’s personal, 6-foot-7, 350-pound bodyguard.

“He (Bush) said, ‘It’s really great to know that a man your size is on our side,” Steve said.

The Uniontown couple still chuckled at the remark months after it happened.

“I guess the President has a really good sense of humor,’ said Steve.

Meeting the President was the highlight of an exhilarating evening for the Orricos, owners of Big Daddy’s Tattos in Uniontown.

They received tickets for the Ford Theatre’s annual Presidential Gala, “An American Celebration at the Ford Theatre’ last March. Natalie’s mother, Diana Hart, has been director of special events at Ford’s Theatre for the past 12 years and was able to get tickets to the affair for the couple.

The President of the United States has traditionally attended the gala since 1975 with President Gerald Ford being the first. Since President Jimmy Carter’s Administration it has become a tradition for the President to host a pre-gala reception at the White House. And that’s where the Orricos met the Bushes.

But meeting them was just a small part of the evening. Getting inside the White House was an experience in itself.

Aggressive secret service men were the first to greet the couple as they approached the White House in their white stretch limousine. They shined flashlights in their faces and double-checked their IDs and trunk, while bomb-sniffing dogs surrounded their vehicle, reminding them just how privileged they were to get close to the President and First Lady

“That was a part of being special, being let in through all this security, getting past the gatekeepers, that was all part of the excitement,” Natalie said.

The couple endured the security checks and dogs at three checkpoints before they even got to the point where they could see the White House. Once at the White House, they were welcomed two “very large, Rambo-looking” men, who stood guard just outside the White House entrance. Natalie said the men were draped with artillery, wearing military “jumpsuits” and looking through binoculars.

“Getting into the White House was really something,” she said.

As Natalie and Steve, who were among the first group in line to meet the President, inched their way closer to the President, Natalie said the outside security proved to be just the tip of the iceberg.

“As we got closer the various layers of security got thicker and thicker,” Natalie said.

White House staffers prepared Natalie and Steve before they met the President. Natalie said they told them where to stand for their picture, where to put their hands and arms. They asked them how they wanted to be presented to the President and First Lady and then it was time, finally they would meet the President.

“Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Orrico” a man said as Natalie and Steve approached the nation’s leader.

And while the Orricos were too nervous to say much, they had no trouble enjoying the rest of the evening. Parents of two boys, ages 3 and 11 months, they were happy to be out for the evening and in the company of celebrities, business titans and members of Congress at the at Ford’s Theatre. They watched performances by magician David Copperfield and singers Yolanda Adams, Mandy Moore and Stevie Wonder. Kelsey Grammer of “Frasier” hosted the event, which aired on ABC in April.

Steve said he was blown away by Stevie Wonder’s performance and the two, like most people in the crowd, got emotional when “America’s tenor” Danny Rodgriguez, the singing NYPD cop “filled the whole theater with his riveting voice,” while several Olympic gold medalists graced the stage.

Tingles went up the their spines as the Orricos watched the Bushes enter the theater to the accompaniment of “Hail to the Chief.”

“We were looking over the balcony. Steve was squeezing my hand. Just 10 feet away, there was George and Laura Bush. We felt special to be at the same event with him, watching this totally fabulous show,” Natalie said.

Natalie and Steve said they felt like stars themselves. As they exited their limousine both at the White House and at the theater, people immediately started flashing cameras, taking pictures of the couple.

“We just thought that was so exciting. Everyone thought we were so important,” Natalie said.

Mingling with some of America’s most recognizable celebrities also added to the excitement. The two talked with “NYPD Blue” star Dennis Franz at the White House. Natalie said she was sitting in the chair next to singer/actress Mandy Moore in the beauty salon where they both got their hair done before the festivities.

But it was President Bush who proved to be the “ultimate celebrity,” exciting even the well-known actors and music artists.

As Natalie chatted with Moore at the beauty salon, she said the two chatted about how excited they were to be meeting the President.

“I guess he really is the ultimate celebrity,” Natalie said. “Even the celebrities, the Hollywood types, were visibly nervous and excited just like we were.”

Natalie said it was good to see the President at ease, after the Sept. 11 tragedies. She admitted that she felt a little edgy at moments considering everything that had happened. She said the increased security heightened her awareness of what the nation is still going through.

“I’m not living there (Washington D.C.). So I’m not accustomed to all the security. I’m just not accustomed to what D.C. has been exposed to,” she said.

“I felt a little antsy to be at an event that could be a target. I did have that in the back of my mine,” she admitted. “But it was a good experience. Very memorable.”