DALE DERAPS SWEEPS WHITE HOUSE CHIMNEYS
Posted: Sunday, Sep 17, 2006 - 12:30:20 am - WWW.CALIFORNIADEMOCRAT.COM
By APRIL ARNETT
Democrat Staff
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Dale Deraps, owner of Advanced Chimney Techniques, Inc., Jamestown, was one of eight chimney sweeps recently selected by the National Chimney Sweep Guild for a very rare honor - to sweep the White House chimneys.
The guild chooses a group every two years to clean the White House chimneys. This year they chose eight sweeps who are also veterans. Deraps is a marine and also lost his youngest son, USMC Lance Corporal Leon Deraps, who was killed in action in Iraq on May 6, 2006.
Deraps said it was about two months ago when he received a phone call from the National Chimney Sweep Guild, notifying him of his selection.
“I was kind of surprised,” Deraps said. “Very honored. It was pretty neat.”
After a thorough background check was completed, Deraps was approved and given the date of the assignment, which was “honorable”, not paid.
Deraps and his wife, Sandy, arrived in Arlington, Va., Sunday, Aug. 27, where arrangements had been made for the chimney sweeps to stay at a “very nice” hotel.
On Monday morning, the chimney sweeps reported to the White House, unsure at this point if they would get to meet the president.
“They usually do this kind of maintenance on the White House when the president is gone,” Deraps said. “We had been told the night before that we might get to meet him, but it wasn't until Monday morning that we found out for sure that we would be meeting President Bush. He was actually on his way to Louisiana, to visit Katrina victims.”
Dale Deraps, Jamestown, is shown standing on top of the White House as he prepares to clean a chimney during his recent “calling,” Aug. 28-Sept. 1. Deraps was one of eight chimney sweeps chosen by the National Chimney Sweep Guild to clean the chimneys at the White House this year. (Contributed photo)
Deraps said he and the sweeps were ushered into the Diplomatic Reception Room after going through “two layers of security”.
“We were standing there waiting for a photo opportunity when he stuck his head in the door and very casually asked, ‘Who are you guys? What are you doing here?',” Deraps recalled with a grin.
“I was at the tail end of the group when Bush walked in. He went down the line shaking our hands and when he got to me, he was told that I lost Leon in Iraq. He pulled me aside, put his arm around me and asked how Sandy was doing. Then he gave me a hug and kissed me on the forehead. He also gave me a Presidential Coin and I gave him a t-shirt that we had made in Leon's memory and a pamphlet from Leon's visitation.”
Deraps said President Bush then spoke to the sweeps for about three minutes, about the U.S. forces in Iraq, then the First Lady walked in and met each of the sweeps.
“When she got to me, President Bush told her about Leon and she hugged me,” Deraps said. “I told President Bush that Leon is in the best of company and he said, ‘I absolutely believe that'”.
Then they gave each of us a Presidential Tie Clasp and gave us a Presidential Pen for our spouses,” Deraps recalled. “Then they got on the Marine One and left.”
At 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, the chimney sweeps reported to the White House to clean the chimneys, all 28 of them. They worked 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
“We took a shuttle from the hotel to the metro, then walked two blocks to the White House,” Deraps said. “When we got to the White House, after two security checks, we broke into three teams; two for below and one for the roof. Some of these chimneys were 70 feet long. That's a long way to run a brush through. We had to communicate with each other with radios.”
Deraps said the sweeps worked on the chimneys in the public areas, the oval office and the cabinet room on the first two days. “I got to clean the chimney in the oval office,” he beamed.
On the third day, they cleaned the chimneys in the private quarters, including the Lincoln Bedroom and the wing which is the private residence and includes the president's bedroom.
“His bedroom is a big room,” Deraps said. “All of the bedrooms are big and they have private studies. There's one to four fireplaces in every room. They were re-modeling the Lincoln Bedroom while we were there. I saw a handwritten copy of the Gettysburg Address, by President Lincoln, in the study of the Lincoln Bedroom.”
Deraps added, “It was a very humbling experience.” Sandy added, “I felt very honored to be there.”
On Friday, the sweeps and their spouses were given a personal tour of the White House.
Deraps and wife Sandy grew up in north St. Louis County and moved to Jamestown in 1979. Deraps served in the Marines 1967-1970.
“That was probabaly part of what influenced Leon,” he said. Deraps daughter Omie, 33, said, “He had a poster of the marines above his bed since he was 10, and he was an Eagle Scout.”
Deraps became a chimney sweep in 1980 and started his own business in 1982. Advanced Chimney Techniques became incorporated in 1985.
Daughter Omie, 33, and her husband Jeff, work in the family business, as does son Cedar, 30. The Deraps have three other children, Dawn, 35; Regina, 28; and David, 26, who owns his own construction business.
Advanced Chimney Techniques, Inc. serves customers from Lake Ozarks to Moberly and from Warrensburg to Mexico, including Columbia, Jefferson City and Sedalia. For more information, call 660-849-2525 or go to www.HEARTHANDFLUE.COM.