Texans are joyous to witness Obama's inauguration

By Anna M. Tinsley and Maria Recio

atinsley@star-telegram.com,

Marvin Sutton will never forget the moment Monday when President Barack Obama took the oath of office for his second term.

Standing on the National Mall, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people, Sutton said the crowd - which had been cheering and clapping - suddenly grew quiet.

"As he finished, everyone looked at each other and started cheering and jumping up and down," said Sutton, 50, an air traffic controller from Arlington. "It was electrifying."

Sutton and huge throngs of other Americans traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend Obama's second and final inauguration.

He and others say they braved chilly weather and made the lengthy trek - by bus, plane, automobile - because they wanted to personally witness an historic experience.

To hear Obama talk about the future and his faith was more than enough to make the trip worthwhile for Clara Faulkner, a Forest Hill community activist who traveled to the capital by bus with her daughter.

"It was a momentous occasion," said Faulkner, political action chairwoman for the Fort Worth NAACP. "I met people from all walks of life, but we are all on the same page of the agenda."

Faulkner, who was among those actively fighting against voter suppression during the campaign, said Monday's ceremony proved "all our work was not in vain."

And being in Washington to witness Obama's second inauguration was something Faulkner said she knows she will never see again.

"It was awe-inspiring," she said. "If I had a bucket list, being here today would have been at the top of it."

One North Texan had a spotlight role: Grammy winner and Burleson native Kelly Clarkson, who sang My Country, 'Tis of Thee and got rave reviews from viewers on the television and online. Another Texan, Beyonce Knowles of Houston, sang the national anthem.

Monday's inauguration was the first one new U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, has attended.

Veasey sat next to fellow freshman Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, in bleachers behind the president with a sweeping view of the Mall.

"It was really amazing to see the number of people that came to the Mall," Veasey said. "To see Justice Sonia Sotomayor and the members of the Supreme Court come out in their robes, you see basically the foundation of the free world, right there - the judiciary, the executive and the legislative together."

O'Rourke said Clarkson was a special favorite of the day. "The folks up here from El Paso who I'm having lunch with all agree that she stole the show," he said.

'Lifetime experience'

Opal Lee, 86, a retired Fort Worth teacher who also attended, said she had some doubts about making the trip.

But in the end, she was glad she was there in person.

"It's another lifetime experience," she said. "I probably will never see another one. I'm just glad I came."

By Monday afternoon, she had not yet accomplished her key goal of delivering letters to Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, asking for Juneteenth to be made a national holiday and seeking help for her nonprofit food bank as well as for people released from jail who can't find jobs. But she hadn't given up.

"I've got nothing to lose by trying," she said.

Charmion Johnson-Polk of Fort Worth, who attended with Lee, said being at the inauguration filled her with "the same love and support" for the president that she felt four years ago when he first was sworn in.

And knowing that he took the oath of office using one of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Bibles meant the world to her.

"I was crying when he took the oath," said Johnson-Polk, founder of the Original King Kids of America, a youth group that for years sang hymns and spirituals and recited King's famous speeches. "I was thinking what Dr. King would have said today. I think he probably would have already visualized something like this happening."

'Hope for the future'

For Kenneth Sanders of Arlington, who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Joe Barton in the 6th Congressional District lastl year, it was an honor to witness a historic day.

He said he had no problems waking at 4 a.m. to travel to the National Mall with enough time to ride the metro and get through all the security that was set up in the area.

"In my lifetime, I've never seen a president with my own eyes - it was always been on TV or in the paper," Sanders said. "It was amazing to be a part of history and to witness it up close and personal."

"I was filled with hope for the future," Sanders said. "... At the end of the day, we are all proud Americans and we want our country to thrive."

Bonita Volcy of Fort Worth also made the trip, just as she did in 2009 and stood for hours to be part of the day.

Volcy was thrilled to bring her 10-year-old nephew Cullan King of Arlington, a fifth-grader at Cross Timbers Intermediate School.

"Four years ago we stood further down the Mall," she said. "The crowd was much more diverse before but the camaraderie and the excitement was the same, if not more."

Anna M. Tinsley, 817-390-7610

Twitter: @annatinsley

Maria Recio is the Star-Telegram's Washington bureau chief. 202-383-6103

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