by the White House staff from suggestions by school children from the state where they were raised. The two finalists are then transported to Washington, where they stay at the Willard InterContinental Washington Hotel at National Turkey Federation expense before being pardoned in a ceremony at the White House. Turkey hens are usually marketed at 14 weeks and weigh when processed. This compares to the tom, which takes 18 weeks to reach a market weight of . The turkeys for the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation are usually 21 week-old toms (males) weighing by the time of their White House visit, compared to the shorter growing period for turkeys destined for market. Broad Breasted White turkeys are bred for large size, are sedentary animals and have a predilection for overeating, making them prone to health problems associated with obesity such as heart disease, respiratory failure, joint damage and reduced life spans compared to wild or heritage turkeys. For many years, the pardoned turkeys were documented to have very short lives after their pardoning, frequently dying within a year of being pardoned; for comparison, heritage turkey breeds have lifespans on par with those of wild turkeys, at least five years. The lifespans of the pardoned turkeys have steadily improved in recent years, frequently having lifespans of over two years and occasionally reaching three years of age, an improvement attributed to better choices of homes after the pardons; rather than serving solely as tourist attractions, the turkeys are now placed in the care of experts who make conscious efforts to maintain the turkeys' health for as long as possible. List of turkeys pardoned Reagan Presidency 1984: "Robust and Juicy" (R.J.), a 53-pound turkey grown by John Hendricks of Shelby, North Carolina. 1987: "Charlie", the first "pardoned" turkey, was sent to a petting zoo in 1987. 1988: "Woody", a National Turkey Federation turkey raised in Story City, Iowa Clinton Presidency 1994: Tom, a turkey from Harrisonburg, Virginia. 1996: Carl, a turkey. 1997: An unnamed turkey from Raeford, North Carolina. 1998: An unnamed turkey. 1999: "Harry the Turkey". 2000: "Jerry the Turkey", a bird from Barron, Wisconsin. The pardoned turkey (the eighth in Clinton's presidency) and its unnamed alternate were both sent to Kidwell Farm's petting zoo in Herndon, Virginia. George W. Bush Presidency 2001: Liberty and his back-up Freedom, so named in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. They weighed , respectively. 2002: Katie,