After serving 7 presidents, he’s retiring

White House chief usher Gary Walters, a man who oversaw the executive residence for 20 years and has served under seven presidents, is retiring, the White House said.

Walters, whose wide-ranging job included helping first ladies pick furnishings and acting as the unofficial custodian of White House ghost stories, was appointed to oversee the presidents’ official home by President Reagan in 1986.

“We have known Gary for many years and are especially grateful for making our family feel at home, and for managing and overseeing the operations of the White House, a museum of American history,” President Bush and his wife, Laura, said in a statement.