Retired Secret Service agent will speak about his memoirs at Westlake Library

Joe Dye displays a plaque he received after retiring from the Secret Service.

Joe Dye, author of "From Appalachia to the White House: My Life in the Secret Service," will speak at the Westlake Library on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 2:30 p.m.

Dye's personal memoir follows his life from his rural beginnings in Russell County to his career with the FBI, the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service White House Police. During his time in Washington, D.C., he provided protection for presidents, vice presidents, heads of state, royalty, prime ministers, and even Pope John Paul II.

The 72-year-old Roanoker served under six presidents. When he retired, he was awarded a shield-shaped plaque bearing the images of those presidents - John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, James Carter and Ronald Reagan - surrounding a bronze letter written by Reagan commending Dye for his service.

Dye's book reveals some of the trials in his life, including his survival of leukemia and a heart attack, and provides insight into the lives of some of the country's past leaders.

According to his book's description: "Life on the farm in the mid-20th century was not one of leisure. It was hard work. And for one young boy, it was preparation for an adult career in law enforcement and government service.

"Born in rural southwestern Virginia, this is a story of the joys and struggles of daily farm life in the mid-twentieth century: cutting hay, making sorghum molasses, killing hogs and growing tobacco. It is also a story of hope, as Dye did not allow a leg condition [to] keep him from a career in Washington, D.C.

"Laugh with Dye as he describes interactions and relationships with the likes of J. Edgar Hoover, John F. Kennedy Jr., Walter Mondale and George H. W. Bush."

Copies of Dye's book are available at the Westlake Library at special-event pricing. His author talk is free and open to the public.

Westlake Library is located at Westlake Towne Center in Hardy. For more information about this program, call the library at 483-3098 (ext. 3) or 719-2383.