PERRYVILLE MOTHER AND SON TO ATTEND WHITE HOUSE EVENT

PERRYVILLE -- Kathleen Miller wonders if President Bill Clinton remembers the plate of chicken wings they shared at Bull Shoals resort.

She'll have a chance to ask him Monday.

Miller, of Perryville, has been invited to a holiday reception at the White House with Bill and Hillary Clinton. She and her 9-year-old son, Dustin, fly out Monday morning.

A phone call on Tuesday notified her that she had been invited. The invitation arrived Thursday.

"It was kind of short notice," Miller said.

"I know Bill and Hillary will be there," she said. But that is about all she knows.

She doesn't know how many people will attend, what activities are planned or how long it will last.

"I thought this would all be on the invitation," she said. "I want details."

Even without details, the Millers are ready to board a plane, the first time for both, and head to Washington.

The reception starts at 5 p.m. Monday. She is to take the invitation passes to the visitors' entrance at the White House where she and Dustin will be escorted to the reception.

Miller, who used to live in Arkansas, has been a supporter of Clinton for years and has worked on several Clinton campaigns.

"When he was running for the presidency, in the primary, I knew who I wanted to support," she said. "I was out there early working for him."

The woman who called Tuesday said Miller's name was on a list of early supporters and friends of the president. That is how she got the holiday invitation.

"It would have been enough for me just to be on the list," Miller said. "This is very exciting."

Dustin is on cloud nine. He visited Cape Girardeau earlier this week with his mother to buy a new suit for the occasion. During the trip, Dustin told everyone who would listen he was headed for the White House.

"He has always wanted to meet President Clinton," Miller said. "It's a big adventure for us. It's so nice to be able to share this with Dustin. In my opinion we have a great president and first lady."

Miller's husband and 4-year-old son are staying home.

Once, when Clinton was governor of Arkansas, he visited the Miller's hometown of Bull Shoals to announce a new tourism package. Miller heard Clinton was to be in town.

"They had a reception and free eats," Miller said, so she went.

"I got to visit with him. He sat down at the table. He was a real friendly, really nice man," Miller recalled. They shared a plate of chicken wings that she will never forget.