Three attorneys, all with the firm of Terrell Hogan, journeyed to Washington, D.C. last week to be a part of the historic inauguration of our 44th President Barack Obama and their memories are shared below.
Wayne Hogan
The inauguration of our President impacts all Americans and helps determine the world’s future. The inauguration in 2001 showed that regardless of how bitter a campaign may have been, and its aftermath legally disputed, our Nation sees the inauguration as the time for everyone to step up and step forward.
This January 20th, to be anywhere near the Capitol was exceptional; this January 20th, the United States, truly moved closer toward fulfilling the Constitution’s promise to “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice (and) insure domestic Tranquility.”
They came by every mode of transportation; they came from every direction; they came with every ethnic and religious background; they came to see history. To be in that throng, to hear its voice roll for miles from west to east and back, to see its hope rise up Capitol Hill, and to feel it move in and move out of the Capitol Mall (grandparents, parents and little children all moving together to be a part of history) was a moment to savor, a moment that will stay for a lifetime.
Naturally, there were transportation issues with hundreds of thousands of visitors unfamiliar with the roads, the subways, and the temporary fencing and blockades for the multitude of events. Yet, for so many people moving for hours in unfamiliar circumstances, they were cooperative, steady and acted in line with the kind of day it was for the Nation. We should all hope that, whenever we may find ourselves in a gigantic crowd, its members are as considerate of one another as were those who gathered for the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States.
Leslie Goller
My strongest impression of the entire event was the palpable aura of anticipation, camaraderie and happiness throughout the entire Washington, D.C., area. It was truly remarkable. Everyone was kind to each other. No one complained about the crowds, the lines or the cold. Everyone appreciated that they were there to witness history being made. It was incredibly exciting. Although the TV does give you some appreciation of the millions of people who made up the crowds, it failed to impart the audio effect of that gigantic crowd- waves of cheers going up and down the mall, bounce-back from the distance.
I was lucky enough to experience several very up close sightings of the Obamas and the Bidens — some planned and some just by pure luck. The first was on Sunday as we were going to the concert at the Lincoln Memorial. As we were driving to the Watergate, I saw the three white top helicopters taking President Bush for his last landing at the White House. As we were walking on the road underneath the Kennedy Center to the Lincoln Memorial the Obama motorcade came by less than a car lane away and I caught a glimpse of them as they passed and we cheered and waved them on. On Inauguration Day, having breakfast at the Hay Adams Hotel, I had a birds-eye view of the Bidens and then the Obamas going into the St. Johns Episcopal Church directly across the street. And although I was an infamous purple ticket holder and unable to get into my section for the swearing in ceremony, after the ceremony, I was able to get at the start of parade route at the intersection of Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues and see President Obama and Malia wave through the limousine at us.
Monday night was the Florida Sunshine and Stars Ball at the Corcoran Gallery, where there was an exciting exhibit of Richard Avedon’s photographs. Among the people spotted there were Judge Cofer and his family, Wayne Hogan, Senator Graham, Senator Nelson, and Bruce Smathers Jr. Tuesday night I and my son Wesley Dillingham first attended the Florida Inaugural Celebration honoring the Florida U.S. Congressional Delegation at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and then went to one of the official Inaugural Balls, the Southern Ball. At the Southern Ball, Jacksonvillians Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi played. We were first visited by Vice President Biden and Jill Biden and around midnight, with the Army-Navy band playing Hail to the Chief, the President and First Lady Michelle Obama came in. President Obama warmly greeted and thanked everyone and spoke of the work we needed to continue to do for our country. He then said that he was going to dance with the woman who brought him and noted that not only does she do everything he does, but does so backwards and in heels- to much applause from the women in the audience. Although the D.C. Armory was huge, you could see them perfectly on the stage and felt like you were right there with them. Unfortunately, I lost the bet on what color Michelle Obama’s gown would be.
Chris Hand
During the actual swearing in ceremony, I had the good fortune to be seated in the first section of guests and had a great view. The scenes were moving: 88 year old Justice John Paul Stevens swearing in Vice President Joe Biden; President Obama taking the oath of office on the same Bible that President Lincoln used for his own inauguration in 1861; and President Obama sharing his inspirational message with the world.
But nothing was as moving as the view I had when I turned around: millions of people gathered on Washington’s Mall from the Capitol clear back to the Lincoln Memorial, all in Washington to celebrate the hope of a new era. They cheered with deafening sound when Vice President Biden and President Obama took their oaths. They voiced encouragement and affirmation throughout President Obama’s inaugural address. And they all returned home committed to being a part of a new chapter in the history of our nation and the world.
It is no coincidence that the sun shone brilliantly in Washington on Inauguration Day. As Vice President Biden said at that evening’s inaugural balls, quoting from Irish poet Seamus Heaney, the inauguration was one of those moments where “hope and history rhyme.” If people of all backgrounds and political affiliations continue to come together like they did on Jan. 20, hope and history will rhyme for a long time to come.