By Leah Knibbe | Echo
Millions of people across the U.S. watched Sarah Palin's every move during the presidential campaign of 2008. She and her family were thrust into the media spotlight when Senator McCain named her as his vice presidential nominee.
But while everyone else watched Palin on television or from a distance, Taylor alumnus Tony Manganello watched her in person from a few feet away. It was his job. Manganello worked in the United States Secret Service.
Manganello served as a special agent in the Secret Service for 11 years. He lived in Los Angeles, Indianapolis and Washington, D.C. and protected Lady Bird Johnson, Ronald Reagan and President Obama-among others.
Today, Manganello carries a much different set of responsibilities. Instead of looking after the president of the U.S., he looks after his wife, Linda, and two young daughters, Lucy and Sophie. And rather than traveling across the world for work, he makes himself at home in Freimuth Administration building as the director of the Taylor Fund.
After graduating from Taylor in 1999 with a degree in communications, Manganello traveled to Kenya, where he had studied abroad for a semester in college. He arrived with a plan to become a missionary, but no opportunities arose.
Months passed and Manganello decided to leave Kenya. But before returning to the U.S., he made a stop in Israel to visit a friend studying at Jerusalem University College. Hillary Clinton, first lady at the time, was also visiting the ancient city. People crowded to get a glimpse of her as she visited the Western Wall. Manganello noticed that wherever Clinton was, Secret Service agents were.
Manganello approached the agents and talked to them for about an hour. They were open and friendly talking to him about the job and what it entailed. Manganello was intrigued. The job sounded like a perfect fit.
"I knew that's what I wanted to do," Manganello said. "I applied when I got home."
Manganello started in the Secret Service in July 2000, when Clinton was still president. His first assignment was the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles, working with Clinton and Gore.
After such an uncommon career, Manganello is still adjusting to being the director of the Taylor Fund and living in Upland, Ind. Behind his desk in Freimuth hang three framed, old-fashioned posters picturing Los Angeles, Indianapolis and Washington, featuring the words "United States Secret Service" in a curvy font. In front of his desk hang Disney princess coloring pages with purple crayon going outside the lines.
After an eight-hour day of work, Manganello goes home and sees his children, Lucy and Sophie. But a few years ago, he spent time with some other children.
"During the '08 campaign, I was assigned to Sarah Palin's kids," says Manganello. "It was before they had become like celebrities . . . so they were really just like a middle class family. They were more interested in us than most other protectees because . . . to them it was a novelty. They asked a lot of questions and spent lots of time with us whereas most protectees are used to having security around them so they don't pay much attention."
While studying at Taylor, Manganello lived on Penthouse (fourth floor of Samuel Morris Hall), and enjoyed extra-curricular activities with his friends. What he would do after college, though, he didn't know. Now, Manganello can look back on an adventurous and unique career.
"I worked with pretty much every living former president," he continues. "When I was in Los Angeles, I did a temp with the Reagan detail a couple of times."
Manganello speaks of working with Ronald Reagan and other presidents with composure. "You work in close proximity with them, but you wouldn't talk to them unless they asked you a question."
Did he ever get asked a question?
"Occasionally, usually like 'Where's the bathroom?'" he chuckled. "You always have to know where the bathroom is. That's about the most important thing."
Recently, Manganello accepted another opportunity to be responsible for the welfare of others. In January 2013, he co-led a group of ten students on a Lighthouse trip to Southeast Asia. He spent time with the natives of the area, building relationships with the locals on the islands and eating squid cooked in its own ink.
"He was kind, observant, and the most loving leader I could have imagined," said junior Emily Hart, a student on Manganello's Lighthouse team. "He was such a vital part of the experience."
Manganello doesn't foresee leading another Lighthouse trip next year, but he has found a different way to be involved with Taylor students. This spring, Manganello will be utilizing his experience in the Secret Service to teach a new political science class called Intelligence and National Security. The course will provide a comprehensive introduction to the world of state-sponsored intelligence programs and the roles they play in national security policy formation.
Manganello kept a cool head during his career, keeping responsibility first.
"Your political views don't impact your work," he states. "Our job is still to protect that person."
What was it really like to work alongside George W. Bush, do a temp with Lady Bird Johnson, go on the campaign trail with Palin, monitor a convention with Clinton and Gore and work with every living former president in some way?
"It was so commonplace. . . seeing those people (was) just part of the job," Manganello admits. He reflects that for the job, one has to show respect, keep protocol, and treat everyone the same. "You can't really stand and be, 'Oh wow, that's Bono.'"
