In his roles - first as a security guard, then as its first male docent - Terry Ehrsam has been a fixture at the Missouri Governor's Mansion for about 38 years.
Because of health issues, Ehrsam has in recent weeks curtailed how much work he does at and for the mansion, but stays closely connected to the people there.
To be an effective docent at the mansion, having a thirst for history is a must, he said.
Ehrsam brings his own history to the task.
Now 72, he grew up in the Fulton area, where he attended Central School for eight years. The one-room country school building is now gone, but its old coal shed and two outdoor privies still remain, he said.
"This school was - I must say - kind of primitive," Ehrsam explained. "Back in the corner we had a large stove - basically a pot-bellied stove - and we burned coal in it to heat the whole building. Our water came from a cistern. We would turn the pump and get our water."
Ehrsam's eighth-grade graduating class at Central School consisted of four boys. From there, he went on to Fulton High School, where he graduated with about 160 other students. He attended William Jewell College in Liberty, then joined the Navy "before I received my draft notice."
Ehrsam found the Navy to be an adventure. He served on an aircraft carrier for a period before he ended up stationed at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego. He served as an aviation store keeper.
"That was a very busy time and sobering time because we were sending so much - so many parts and pieces for aircraft - to Vietnam," he said.
The store sent everything from rivets to jet engines to Vietnam, he said.
After four years, he returned to Fulton, but moved to Columbia and went into retail and newspaper advertising. He felt like he wasn't suited for those jobs.
"I was not really happy or satisfied with that," Ehrsam said. "I like to say, 'Like all little boys, you either wanted to be a cowboy or fireman or cop.' I pursued law enforcement."
He joined the Boone County Sheriff's Office in 1972. Eight years later, he joined Capitol Security. This was before the security team became a police department, and he went directly to work on the Governor's Mansion detail.
"There are lots of stories. Some I can tell, some I can't," he laughed. "Because I'm retired, most I can tell."
Ehrsam giggles when talking about some of the tours.
"A large group of fourth-graders was coming through the door," he remembered, "and one little lad looks up at me and says, 'Are you the bouncer?' My response was, 'You might call me that.'"
Other memories are sadder.
Ehrsam served seven First Families, while a member of mansion security. Each was unique and brought him joy, he said.
"One of the biggest stories was that I - like the entire state of Missouri - became a part of history when Gov. (Mel) Carnahan was killed in 2000," he said.
He spent about 14 hours working at the driveway gate after the fateful plane crash. Ehrsam said having then-President Bill Clinton, then-Vice President Al Gore and their wives walk down the driveway to attend Carnahan's funeral was an "awesome" spectacle.
"The duty. It was very somber. There was one of us on one side of the gate and one on the other side," Ehrsam said. "A couple of Secret Service agents were right there, too.
"The only thing that was a little unnerving was looking up on the Jefferson Building and seeing the rifle scopes."
It was historic, and the job remained surprising, he said. Carnahan was a "total gentleman," he said.
The governor would put on what Ehrsam described as Halloween bashes.
"He and Mrs. Carnahan were the most gracious host and hostess," he said. "On Halloween, they would bring in people from Six Flags three or four days before the event, and they would just transform the mansion and grounds. Having the decorations and the people, it was always fun. I think I still have pictures of me with the Batmobile."
All the time he worked at the mansion, Ehrsam remained aware of the docents and the work they did.
While employed there as security, he spent a great deal of time on the floor with the many different docents.
"Even with my country-thick brain, I absorbed a lot of the stories and history. I love the building and the history that's there," he said.
He retired from his law-enforcement job in 2006. Because all the docents were women, during the retirement ceremony, Ehrsam was presented with a document naming him as an honorary docent.
At that time, they were strictly women. There were no male docents.
However, shortly after the retirement, he received a call asking him if he would be interested in becoming the mansion's first male docent.
"I said, 'Let me think about it. Heck yes!' I have so much love for the building and the history behind it," he said. "That's when I became the first male docent."
There are five male docents now.
Because each of the docents (there are about 60) chooses which stories they wish to share, if someone toured the mansion 100 times, they'd likely get 100 different tours, Ehrsam said.
He shared a couple of his favorite stories, like the story of the first guest to the mansion.
In January 1872, less than a week after Gov. B. Gratz Brown and his family moved into the Governor's Mansion, a train arrived at the station down below. On the train were the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia and his guide, Col. George Armstrong Custer.
A carriage, supposedly pulled by six white horses, met them at the station to take them to the mansion. Jefferson City was a stop on the way out West, where the duke hoped to hunt buffalo. Custer had been ordered to guide the duke. From Jefferson City, the two continued to Nebraska, where they met with Buffalo Bill Cody and later went on a successful hunt, Ehrsam said.
"(Missouri) truly was the gateway," he added. "My other favorite story was the surrender of Alexander Franklin James. Unfortunately the details are a little sketchy, so we like to say 'Legend has it.'"
After the death of Jesse James in April 1882, Frank James was living on the lam under an assumed name.
"He knew his days were numbered," Ehrsam said.
Frank James and a newspaper man got on a train in Kansas City and again arrived in Jefferson City. They got rooms in the Madison House and sent word to Gov. Thomas Crittenden that they were in town for a surrender.
"We like to believe that, probably, Frank met with Gov. Crittenden in the library of the mansion, because we do know that Gov. Crittenden used the library as his in-house office," Ehrsam said. "There, he surrendered his revolver to Gov. Crittenden. Then, later, we believe they went to the Capitol and met with the Legislature for a 'more formal' surrender."
Word got out, and the area became crowded with citizens seeking autographs and hoping to see the famous outlaw, Ehrsam said.
And the governor apparently released James on his own recognizance.
James returned to the Kansas City area and was arrested. A jury of James' peers acquitted him of all crimes.
"There is so very, very much phenomenal history here in Jefferson City and the surrounding areas," Ehrsam said. "It never ceases to amaze me."