Henry did maintenance at the White House from 1960 to 1982. He knows which presidents sneaked a cigarette; and he knows that Gerald Ford installed an outdoor swimming pool and cabana on the grounds. He's seen them all, shaken their hands - and that only gets him more excited about Obama.
"There've been great presidents going in, but this man has so much to do," he says.
Since Kennedy, the Battles have tried to volunteer for every Democratic presidential campaign. This one is different, each says. Even the unfortunate encounters don't seem to get them down.
On a recent afternoon, the couple was making phone calls, urging people to vote on Tuesday.
"This woman on the phone, she said, 'I would never vote for a black man,' " Henry recalled. "I said 'Thank you.' "
And did he get upset?
"I'm a Christian. I'm not going to carry it," he said. "... I said 'Thank you' and I hung up."
Henry plans to volunteer as an election judge tomorrow, while Virginia monitors the results on television. They say they want to savor the day and make sure their grandchildren and great-grandchildren can appreciate it.
"They're going to sit in my lap and I'm gonna tell them a story, and they're gonna feel it," Henry said. "A story about America."
