He Planned the Funerals for 5 Presidents & Pope John Paul II’s White House Visit: Exclusive

About this episode

Tom Groppel shares his experiences planning funerals for five U.S. presidents and the visit of St. John Paul II to the White House.

We interview Tom Groppel, the former Director of Ceremonies for the Military District of Washington who planned the funerals of five U.S. presidents. Groppel shares behind-the-scenes stories from presidential funerals, state visits to the White House—including St. John Paul II’s historic 1979 visit—and personal conversations with presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.

People in this episode

Guest: Tom Groppel

Topics covered

• funerals
• presidential history
• state visits
• military ceremonies
• personal anecdotes

Keywords

• funeral planning
• presidents
• White House
• Tom Groppel
• St. John Paul II
• military ceremonies
• historical visits

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Military District of Washington, White House

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