Wilson “Bill” Livingood, Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Representatives for 17 years until his retirement in 2011, will deliver the keynote address at the Friendship Veterans Firehouse Association annual breakfast to kick off the citywide series of events celebrating George Washington's birthday on Feb. 17.

Livingood, a 33-year veteran of the U.S. Secret Service, was the first person to serve in the position with a significant law enforcement background; the position was historically filled by a political appointee.

"They didn't ask me any political questions," said Livingood, a 1961 graduate and class president of Michigan State University, upon his appointment.

Best known to Americans as the man who stands at the chamber door and proclaims, “Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States” as the president enters to deliver his State of the Union address, the Sergeant-at-Arms is charged with the security of members, their staff and all visitors to the House of

Representatives.

“Bill Livingood served the House during the most challenging times faced by anyone who has ever held this demanding position,” said Speaker John Boehner in a statement upon Livingood's retirement. Boehner went on to cite the 1998 shootings of two Capitol Police officers, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the anthrax mailings and the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), which initiated a new scrutiny of member safety.

A distinguished Secret Service veteran with three decades of experience in field operations, inspection and protective services, Livingood was the last agent on active duty when President Kennedy was assassinated. The recipient of many merit awards, his personal highlight was advancing President Nixon's historic trip to China.

"It was almost like being on another planet," he recalled in an interview with his alma mater. "China hadn't seen an American in 25 years. We couldn't walk anywhere (without getting mobbed)."

The annual breakfast meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. at the Crowne

Plaza Hotel at 901 N. Fairfax St. in Old Town, serves as the first public introduction to the 2014 Living Legends of Alexandria and will include the presentation of the Rev. Ben Lynt Distinguished Service Award.

Tickets for the three-course breakfast are $30. For more information, contact Friendship secretary-treasurer Bill Kehoe at KehoeFD@ aol.com.