Air Force One!
Howie speaks.
Howie speaks.
Your Subtitle text
Howie Franklin
Above photos courtesy of White House Photo Office.
Above photo courtesy of Wilmington Star News.
WRAL Interview - July 2011
Documentary - Webster Falls Films
Book Howie for your next event!
Rave Reviews!
The entire audience sat riveted as Howie shared his stories - they were funny at times and poignant at times. We laughed at times, we held our breath at times. Howie did a great job opening a window, helping the audience learn about the person behind the presidency. It was especially fitting to have him speak at the Presidential Library that bears the name of one of the Commanders-in-Chief he served so well, Ronald Wilson Reagan.
Director of Communications and Programs
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation
40 Presidential Drive
Simi Valley, California 93065
February 8, 2010
Howie was fantastic!! His material was extremely interesting, his delivery funny but respectful, and his manner very engaging. I've received nothing but enthusiastic positive responses.
Howie Franklin was a huge success. Comments from the group were all very favorable. He was willing to do any thing we wanted. I escorted him around our "Table Fair" and introduced him to attendees as we went. He made a wonderful impression on everyone; he was so personable and friendly. He ran a little over, but no one left their seat.
Before we left for the luncheon, he greeted attendees at the door as we waited for our driver. All the comments to him at that time were "wonderful presentation" "I truly enjoyed your talk" "You were wonderful" "You were the best speaker I have ever heard". At the luncheon Q&A he answered every question until there were no more asked.
He was one of the easiest performers we have dealt with and was a gentleman. Trumbull Town Hall highly recommends him to any organization that is interested in having an interesting, captivating, humorous speaker.
Howie Franklin was a total success in every way. He was an excellent speaker; he is a personable, generous human being; he is charming and real.
Everyone here was completely "taken" with him. He was prompt and affable at all times. We think you have a winner in Howie. Thanks for your help with the booking. Everything went smoothly.
Howie Franklin is currently the Director, Brunswick County Airport, dubbed "The Little Airport with the Big Heart." He is past president and is currently a member Executive Board of Directors of the North Carolina Airports Association. He is on the Board of Directors of the future Air Force One Museum.
Rave Reviews!
The entire audience sat riveted as Howie shared his stories - they were funny at times and poignant at times. We laughed at times, we held our breath at times. Howie did a great job opening a window, helping the audience learn about the person behind the presidency. It was especially fitting to have him speak at the Presidential Library that bears the name of one of the Commanders-in-Chief he served so well, Ronald Wilson Reagan.
Director of Communications and Programs
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation
40 Presidential Drive
Simi Valley, California 93065
February 8, 2010
Howie was fantastic!! His material was extremely interesting, his delivery funny but respectful, and his manner very engaging. I've received nothing but enthusiastic positive responses.
-Maryland Airport Managers Association
Howie Franklin was a huge success. Comments from the group were all very favorable. He was willing to do any thing we wanted. I escorted him around our "Table Fair" and introduced him to attendees as we went. He made a wonderful impression on everyone; he was so personable and friendly. He ran a little over, but no one left their seat.
Before we left for the luncheon, he greeted attendees at the door as we waited for our driver. All the comments to him at that time were "wonderful presentation" "I truly enjoyed your talk" "You were wonderful" "You were the best speaker I have ever heard". At the luncheon Q&A he answered every question until there were no more asked.
He was one of the easiest performers we have dealt with and was a gentleman. Trumbull Town Hall highly recommends him to any organization that is interested in having an interesting, captivating, humorous speaker.
-Trumbull Town Hall
Howie Franklin was a total success in every way. He was an excellent speaker; he is a personable, generous human being; he is charming and real.
Everyone here was completely "taken" with him. He was prompt and affable at all times. We think you have a winner in Howie. Thanks for your help with the booking. Everything went smoothly.
-Program Chair of Clio Club
Howie Franklin is currently the Director, Brunswick County Airport, dubbed "The Little Airport with the Big Heart." He is past president and is currently a member Executive Board of Directors of the North Carolina Airports Association. He is on the Board of Directors of the future Air Force One Museum.
Even President Reagan and his staff and Cabinet loved his stories.
Everyone loves a good story, and Howie has hundreds of them. He is the only person to ever work for five U.S. Presidents consecutively, having spent 24 years at Andrews Air Force Base, the last 18 of which he spent aboard Air Force One, serving as Flight Steward. He was Chief Flight Steward during the Bush One and Clinton Administrations. I’d love to hear the rest of your stories,” said Al Roker during a recent interview with Howie Franklin on the Today Show. Former press secretary to Ronald Reagan and George Bush, Marlin Fitzwater, said, “Howie knows all of your inner secrets (on Air Force One), when you can’t take the pressure, when you’re tired and crying and sleeping on the floor. . .The perception on the outside is always different from the inside.” When he was promoted to the crew of Air Force One in 1976, it was on the tail end of the Ford administration. He was told not to get attached – a change in presidents could mean a switch in crew. But “he survived a lot of administrations because he gave good service with a smile, he was dedicated and trustworthy, he did his job without criticism and without complaint,” says Marlin Fitzwater who traveled on Air Force One for the better part of 10 years. Fitzwater says it’s rare for someone to work on Air Force One and never step on toes: “When traveling with such close proximity to a bunch of egos, it is pretty easy to get crossways with somebody. Howie never did.” Simply put, “Howie was a joy to be around. Howie’s pre-teenage years were spent at Ocean Beach, Fire Island. He remembers it as a wonderful time when he was surrounded by and it was common for him to see Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio (who he also met later on Air Force One), Mike Wallace and Buff Todd, Dave Garroway and many others. He learned a startling fact, famous people were just human. Franklin spent four teenage years waiting on the jet-set crowd at ritzy Talisman Yacht Club on Fire Island, N.Y. White House types were modest by comparison. “That job gave me an edge,” Franklin says. “It prepared me.” He worked for people like Ahmed Erdigan, President of Atlantic Record Company; Leonard Holzer, a Manhattan developer; Carol Channing, Bill Cullen, Victor Lowns, former New York Playboy Club Manager, Happy Rockefeller, before she was Happy Rockefeller and many others. The son of a New York-area marina and deli owner, Franklin enlisted in the Air Force at age 20 with a single aspiration: to see the world. It’s easier for him to name the places he hasn’t been rather than reel off an exhaustive list of journeys. Maybe some small countries in central Africa. He began in 1965 preparing meals for B-52 flight crews in Guam. At various career stops, he cooked for and served generals, secretaries of defense, secretaries of state, and heads of state. Howie is the only Flight Steward who worked for five US Presidents: Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton. He also flew extensively with Dr. Kissinger, Secretary of State, on his Shuttle Diplomacy Missions during the Nixon and Ford administrations. Howie spent 29 years in the United States Air Force, reached the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, 24 years at Andrews Air Force Base in Special Missions Operations, including 18 years on Air Force One. Howie has over 300 stories of his memories of working around Presidents, First Ladies, Vice Presidents, Cabinet Secretaries, VIP guests and U.S. press corps.
