Written by Bennett Bartz, October 2020

If someone told my 13 year old self that in 2 years, I would be meeting one of the most famous political figures in the world, I would have called them crazy. Spectacularly, this became a reality on the 31st of October, 2019, as Joe Biden would be visiting Columbus and attending a fundraiser at no other than my own grandparents’ house.

After learning about the fundraiser, I was ecstatic about attending. I looked forward to it for months and told just about anyone who would listen that I would be meeting a possible presidential candidate. As the days crept by, my excitement heightened, and eventually, the day came.

The weather was horrible; sheets of rain pounded down on the 125 guests who walked up the driveway. My job was collecting coats and storing them in the closet, a reasonably simple task, yet the massive, soaking wet coats that I had to carry into the closet was exhausting. Eventually, I was relieved from this job and started passing out pizza and White Castle sliders for the guests. Despite how exciting passing out appetizers and collecting coats were (not), I could only focus on the arrival of Joe Biden, who appeared just after my brother, Sawyer, was accidentally bumped in the tent, forcing him to drop an entire tray of pizzas to the ground.

As the former Vice President walked through the front door, the house, filled with so many people you could barely hear, became utterly silent. All eyes were on Joe, and nobody exactly knew what to do. I remember being in the dining room assessing the pizzas when my Mom came in and told me the Vice President would meet with our family privately. My heart skipped a beat.Susu and Papa's den

I assumed I would end the day with a handshake at best, but now my whole mindset changed. My nerves were shot, and I had no clue what I was going to say; I only hoped for the best. As our family assembled in the den, I became even more anxious, anticipating what would happen next. When the Vice President walked into the den, the first thing I noticed was how much taller he was in person.

As he began to engage my Grandpa in conversation, I also realized how personable he was. It may just be because Mr. Biden spent his whole life as a politician, but no other person I’ve met was as warm as Joe Biden. His use of anecdotes during the conversation was remarkable. He could probably be in a conversation with a random person on the street and still be able to make a personal connection.

I nervously clutched my copy of Biden’s autobiography, “Promise Me, Dad,” and waited for him to work his way around the room. Soon, Mom was introducing him to my brother and me and let him know I had read his autobiography, sparking a conversation between us. My memory is a bit foggy, but after I asked Mr. Biden to sign the book and before he finished, he told me that he and my Great Grandfather, Bill Saxbe, were friends when they were in the Senate. He said how respected my Great Grandfather was for his honesty, “When Bill Saxbe gave you his word, he meant it.” Looking at the cover page a few minutes later, I noticed the Vice President not only signed his name and date but wrote a personal message about my family and my Great Grandfather keeping promises.

Engaging in casual conversation with Vice President Biden in the way we did, caught me off guard, as I would not have expected him to discuss such a topic with a teenager;  I was touched. Our interaction left a significant mark on me, not just because he’s a former Vice President or possibly our next President, but because he treated me as an equal and not as a child. I remember how he looked me right in the eye after sitting down on the leather ottoman to sign my book. My experience made me think how much the country needs a person like Joe Biden as our leader, someone who’s down-to-earth and a good person, both in and out of office.