On December 12, the day after Gays Mills resident Geraldine Smith’s 89th birthday, she received an unexpected phone call from President Joe Biden. 

Geraldine said she likely wouldn’t have answered it if her son and his wife, Emile and Camille Smith, hadn’t let her know to answer the phone if she got a call from a 202 number, one of Washington D.C.’s area codes, before he left earlier that week for an event at the White House. 

Emile and Camille, small business owners from Seneca, were invited to the White House after they worked on a project called the American Rescue Plans and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with President Biden. This project was a part of President Biden’s ‘Investing in America’ agenda.

The project brought high-speed internet to nearly 1,000 homes and over 50 small businesses in Crawford County. Emile and Camille began working on this project because they were worried about the future of their business without high-speed internet.

President Biden took a liking to the couple and wanted them to be at the event on December 12, which was held in order to celebrate the people who had helped him achieve his goals as President.

At the event, a few women in attendance had asked President Biden for a hug, so Emile told President Biden that his mother was giving a hug in spirit, and that it was her birthday the day prior. 

President Biden said he wanted to give Smith a call and wish her a happy birthday. He then took Emile and Camille to his private quarters to speak to her. 

When Geraldine answered the phone, she was shocked by who was on the other end of the line and told him, “I’m delighted to hear from you!”

When President Biden asked if Emile was her favorite son, Smith said, “they are all my favorite.” President Biden said this is the same answer his mother would have when she was asked this question.

The two chatted for a little while, Geraldine said ‘it couldn’t have been longer than 10 minutes,’ and they wished each other a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year before it ended.

“My feet have not touched the ground since,” Smith said about after the phone call.

Smith noted that she has had nothing but good luck since her talk with the President.

Geraldine Smith is incredibly proud of her son and grateful for getting to have this experience with President Joe Biden.