White House Calling
February 10, 2005
Andy Keck |
It was the White House.
Yes, that White House.
At first Keck thought someone was joking, but the caller identified herself as Lindsey E. Drouin a speechwriter for President George W. Bush. She was working on one of the speeches for inauguration week and needed to check the background of the John Wesley quote, “the world is my parish.”
Using the extensive resources of the Divinity School Library, Keck found a reference to the phrase in a footnote from a CD version of Wesley’s sermons and hymns.
The phrase was from a letter, the date and recipient of which is disputed. Frank Baker, the editor of the volume from The Works of John Wesley, suggested that Rev. John Clayton had received the letter around March of 1739. Wesley penned the words as part of his justification for preaching in areas where he was not the officially recognized pastor.
Bush used the quote in a speech honoring outgoing Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Keck, a United Methodist deacon, has no immediate plans to pursue a career in political speechwriting, though he enjoyed helping this time. He said, “You never know who is going to call or show up at the Reference Desk. When people have questions, they call the library. Helping them to find answers and ask new questions is a part of the library’s ministry of service.”