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Hernando Today

Memories From The 44th

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By TONY MARRERO

Hernando Today

Published: January 24, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - Hazel Land says she saw two kinds of dawn break over the National Mall last Tuesday.

Land, a 76-year-old retired attorney from Brooksville, arrived at the mall early enough to see the sun rise over a growing sea of people gathered to watch President-elect Barack Obama take the oath of office.

But Land also sees a metaphorical light shining on America now as its first black president, something she admits she never thought she would witness.

"You're about to see a little bit of dawn coming in now, racially speaking," Land said. "It means a majority of Americans are thinking, 'let's try something different now."

Land and other local residents say being on-the-spot observers of history in the making made the frigid temperatures and packed conditions worthwhile.

Land says she made up her mind to attend the inauguration even before Obama won the election.

She booked a trip through a travel agency, flying to Baltimore out of Orlando. She didn't know anyone in the group, but had plenty of friends by the time the trip was over.

The group attended a Martin Luther King Day Parade in Baltimore on Monday and was up by 2 a.m. Tuesday, making it to the mall by 4:30 a.m. That meant standing for more than six hours. Some nearby concrete barriers provided relief as impromptu benches.

Bundled up well from boots to hat, Land said the 20 degree temperatures were brutal but bearable. A nearby group of college students danced and sang the wait away, infusing the crowd with energy, she said.

Land's group had landed silver tickets, putting them about a quarter of the way back on the mall. It was close enough to see figures on the inauguration stage, but they still relied on video monitors to watch the ceremony.

"There was a really good feeling among the people," she said.

Bob Holmes, who also had silver tickets, probably wasn't too far away.

The 52-year-old Spring Hill resident and information technology worker for Hernando County stood with friends and made new ones, meeting people from California, North Carolina, France and South Africa. One family had driven from Alabama straight through the night.

Holmes said the most powerful moment came when he turned around toward the back of the crowd and saw the Washington Monument rising above their heads.

"You're looking at the monument dedicated to the first president and you turn around and you're looking at the 44th president," Holmes said. "That continuum, that transition of power peacefully over all those years ... that was probably the most overwhelming thing for me."

Richard Howell, 64, of Brooksville combined the trip with a visit to his two sons, who live in the D.C. area.

Howell said the crowds were beyond his expectations. The metro trains were so packed the doors struggled to close.

He made it to the mall by 9 a.m., farther back than Holmes and Land.

Even there, it was shoulder to shoulder. But the trip left Howell, who is known in Brooksville for his outspokenness on behalf of the African-American community, with a reason to be optimistic.

"Everybody was just as pleasant as possible," Howell said. "If we can distribute that kind of love and cooperation, we'll be OK."

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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