A Wowser of a Ritual
Normally, I wouldn’t walk across the street to attend a high school graduation ceremony. Tuesday I gladly would have, but I couldn’t.
President Barack Obama came to nearby Kalamazoo as promised to speak at the ceremony honoring 282 graduating seniors from Kalamazoo Central High School. Central won the presidential visit in a contest to recognize the best school improvement program in the nation. No tickets were available to the general public.
The lead story in the Kalamazoo Gazette’s eight-page special section the next day said it this way: “Best. Commencement. Ever.” The section backed that claim with numerous photos of students, faculty, friends, and dignitaries, all laughing, clapping, or cheering wildly. One reporter said the students were “joyful and jubilant.” Actually, just about everyone involved was.
I did the next best thing to being here. I watched on one of two regional TV stations that aired the two-hour proceedings.
As expected, Obama gave a masterful speech, urging the grads to take personal responsibility for their future success. He wowed the audience with humor, no-nonsense advice, and many local shoutouts, talking to students by name and mentioning area institutions.
Somewhat unexpectedly, the students stole the show. The Gazette quoted a graduate who summed that up: “I thought it was going to be about Obama, but it turned out to be about us.” The kids wowed me. They made it one of the most interesting programs I’ve seen on the tube in a long time.
One young lady, after receiving her diploma and an Obama handshake, asked for and got a presidential hug. That touched off a series of hugs, pats on the back, and personal comments from the President as the graduates filed by. He shook all 282 hands, some twice because he dropped in on a gathering of the seniors unannounced before the ceremony started and smoozed with them for 15 minutes.
The band had been practicing “Hail to the Chief” for nearly a week before the conductor was advised that only the U.S. Marine Corps Band was permitted to play that music when a President enters a room. The Central bandmaster said his group would switch to a customized version of “Pomp and Circumstance.” What I heard sounded suspiciously like a customized “Hail to the Chief” when Obama arrived. He looked just a tad startled.
The class valedictorian, a South Korean immigrant, struggled a little with a few parts of her talk. But she earned a standing ovation with a punch line punctuated by a huge grin and raised arms: “Less than four years ago I came to Kalamazoo and to America for the first time. Just look where I am now!”
The salutatorian, at 18 a speaker nearly as polished as Obama, said his goal was to be elected President of the United States. After Obama took the podium he told the young man, “I’m glad that, according to the Constitution, you can’t run until you’re 35. So I’ll be long gone by then.”
The observation in my May 13 post (Hey, Look Them Over) that many Americans are eager to see and hear a sitting President in person was verified. Despite a move to a 5,000-seat venue, there was no way for me to get a ticket. Administrators allocated all the tickets to seniors at the three district high schools, some other students, and a limited number of family and friends of the graduates.
The level of interest in the community was amazing. Every seat in three school auditoriums and a church viewing area was filled by individuals viewing the event on big-screen video. One lady drove from Decatur, Illinois, just to experience the togetherness of watching with a group, although she had no chance at a ticket to the actual ceremony.
No nastiness marred the occasion. Two small groups, one lobbying for an end to war and one for immigration reform, held rallies away from the Western Michigan University campus where the President spoke. Both were peaceful. Area Tea Party adherents, a group that might be expected to provide hecklers for an Obama appearance, declined to show up. A Gazette reporter quoted a spokesman as saying, “This shouldn’t be a political event on his part or ours. It’s the kids’ day and the families’ day, and they should be able to enjoy it without interference.”
Amen. After seeing those thrilled young people, I don’t regret for a moment missing what probably was my last chance to see and hear a sitting President in person. Those students earned their thrill of a lifetime, and they have many more years than I to enjoy the memory.
Sandy and I got one little thrill, though. About 9:15 p.m. huge sound waves drew our full attention as big helicopters roared directly over your house, something that never happened before. We figured the squadron escorting Mr. Obama would have left Kalamazoo about that time, so one of them might be Marine One. Marine One would be carrying the President of the United States to Grand Rapids where he was to board Air Force One for his return flight to Washington.
I got off my best recollection of what a snappy salute ought to be as the choppers passed over us. Heck, I thought, even if it wasn’t the commander-in-chief overhead, saluting some standout Marines was something I was proud to do.
News reports confirmed that Marine One was sighted leaving Kalamazoo minutes before 9:15 and heading north right toward our home. At least I now can claim to have saluted a President in person, even if I still haven’t seen one.
Showing posts with label Kalamazoo Central High School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kalamazoo Central High School. Show all posts
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Hey, Look Them Over
Over the past 60 years, finding anyone in our nation who didn’t know what a U.S. President looked and sounded like would have been difficult. Since the 1950s, presidents have been major television stars. They don’t need to invent creative ways to appear on the tube as lesser publicity seekers do; networks clamor for the opportunity to feature them.
The television moguls know what they’re doing as they vie for viewers. The American people, no matter what their political persuasions, long have been interested in what our top politicians look and sound like. Before television, when I was in junior high school, Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft, Republican candidate for President, scheduled a stop in my hometown. It was such a big deal in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, that the schools were let out so we youngsters would have a chance to get a glimpse of the great man. The movie theater where he spoke was packed beyond capacity. I couldn’t get in, although I did see Taft make his entrance into the building.
Taft’s presidential bid failed, so I couldn't claim I’d seen a man in the flesh who had occupied the White House. That didn’t happen for another 35 years.
No matter how familiar a President becomes to television viewers, actually seeing the real person seems important to many citizens. President Obama recently spoke at the University of Michigan commencement ceremony in the “Big House” football stadium in Ann Arbor. Event organizers printed 80,000 tickets, and demand exceeded the supply.
Mr. Obama will be back in Michigan on June 7. Kalamazoo Central High School won a nationwide contest to get the President as its graduation speaker. The inner city public school topped the nation with its outstanding record of academic improvement through several creative programs. School officials changed the graduation date to give their Class of 2010 what they called a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to see and hear a President.
I thought about trying to get a ticket until information on the demand appeared. Central usually attracts about 2,500 spectators at a graduation. This year’s event is scheduled at the local hockey arena, which holds 4,000. If it stays there, grads for the first time in history will be limited in the number of family members and friends they can host. There is talk of moving the event to Western Michigan University’s basketball arena to squeeze in another 1,000 people. Mention also has been made of moving to the university’s football stadium, where 27,000 could be admitted. If that happens, I might try for a ticket.
Why would I bother? Well, there aren’t a whole lot of average Americans who can say they’ve seen a sitting President in real life. Something about the possibility of joining that small number is intriguing. I have seen a First Lady and a former President at close range, and those memories remain vivid.
First Lady Barbara Bush passed within a few feet of me as she walked down a corridor in a Salt Lake City hotel. She was on the way to a meeting room across the hall from one where I was attending a Forest Service conference. She was there to give a speech to a group of Republican supporters. I was in the hallway having a smoke, and I stayed for her appearance when a Secret Service man told me she would be coming.
Mrs. Bush was known as a great lady. When I saw her, she radiated charm and good humor as she passed by. She nodded to onlookers in the corridor and smiled at everybody. I was clapping as hard as I could, as were others, so I’d like to think she smiled at me, but that’s a stretch.
A few years later, the annual Marie Lombardi Charity Golf Tournament was held at the Menominee Falls Country Club, about a mile from our home in Wisconsin. Proceeds went to cancer research in memory of the famous Green Bay Packers coach, Vince Lombardi. Many political, sports, and show business luminaries participated, with heavy representation by present and former Packers and Chicago Bears football stars.
I walked the mile from our home to the country club. Seeing no reason not to, I slipped under a rope near the entrance just in time to see former President Gerald Ford, escorted by several young men, pass slowly within a yard of me as he headed for the scorer’s tent. Mr. Ford was smiling and waving to everybody on both sides of the roped-off pathway to the tent. I’d like to claim he waved at me, but I’ll settle for stating he at least “waved near me.”
Mr. Ford had been out of office for several years when I saw him. It was a good day for celebrity sightings of others who had joined the ranks of retirees. I saw “Mr. Perfect,” Bart Starr, the former Packers quarterback, hit a perfect drive long and down the middle. Dick Butkus, former great Bears linebacker, crunched a fairway wood that appeared to travel about 300 yards. Years earlier, Butkus would have been more interested in crunching Starr.
When Mr. Obama comes to town, I think sneaking in to see him will be out of the question. I’m hoping the ceremony is moved to the football field to give me a chance for a ticket.
Over the past 60 years, finding anyone in our nation who didn’t know what a U.S. President looked and sounded like would have been difficult. Since the 1950s, presidents have been major television stars. They don’t need to invent creative ways to appear on the tube as lesser publicity seekers do; networks clamor for the opportunity to feature them.
The television moguls know what they’re doing as they vie for viewers. The American people, no matter what their political persuasions, long have been interested in what our top politicians look and sound like. Before television, when I was in junior high school, Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft, Republican candidate for President, scheduled a stop in my hometown. It was such a big deal in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, that the schools were let out so we youngsters would have a chance to get a glimpse of the great man. The movie theater where he spoke was packed beyond capacity. I couldn’t get in, although I did see Taft make his entrance into the building.
Taft’s presidential bid failed, so I couldn't claim I’d seen a man in the flesh who had occupied the White House. That didn’t happen for another 35 years.
No matter how familiar a President becomes to television viewers, actually seeing the real person seems important to many citizens. President Obama recently spoke at the University of Michigan commencement ceremony in the “Big House” football stadium in Ann Arbor. Event organizers printed 80,000 tickets, and demand exceeded the supply.
Mr. Obama will be back in Michigan on June 7. Kalamazoo Central High School won a nationwide contest to get the President as its graduation speaker. The inner city public school topped the nation with its outstanding record of academic improvement through several creative programs. School officials changed the graduation date to give their Class of 2010 what they called a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to see and hear a President.
I thought about trying to get a ticket until information on the demand appeared. Central usually attracts about 2,500 spectators at a graduation. This year’s event is scheduled at the local hockey arena, which holds 4,000. If it stays there, grads for the first time in history will be limited in the number of family members and friends they can host. There is talk of moving the event to Western Michigan University’s basketball arena to squeeze in another 1,000 people. Mention also has been made of moving to the university’s football stadium, where 27,000 could be admitted. If that happens, I might try for a ticket.
Why would I bother? Well, there aren’t a whole lot of average Americans who can say they’ve seen a sitting President in real life. Something about the possibility of joining that small number is intriguing. I have seen a First Lady and a former President at close range, and those memories remain vivid.
First Lady Barbara Bush passed within a few feet of me as she walked down a corridor in a Salt Lake City hotel. She was on the way to a meeting room across the hall from one where I was attending a Forest Service conference. She was there to give a speech to a group of Republican supporters. I was in the hallway having a smoke, and I stayed for her appearance when a Secret Service man told me she would be coming.
Mrs. Bush was known as a great lady. When I saw her, she radiated charm and good humor as she passed by. She nodded to onlookers in the corridor and smiled at everybody. I was clapping as hard as I could, as were others, so I’d like to think she smiled at me, but that’s a stretch.
A few years later, the annual Marie Lombardi Charity Golf Tournament was held at the Menominee Falls Country Club, about a mile from our home in Wisconsin. Proceeds went to cancer research in memory of the famous Green Bay Packers coach, Vince Lombardi. Many political, sports, and show business luminaries participated, with heavy representation by present and former Packers and Chicago Bears football stars.
I walked the mile from our home to the country club. Seeing no reason not to, I slipped under a rope near the entrance just in time to see former President Gerald Ford, escorted by several young men, pass slowly within a yard of me as he headed for the scorer’s tent. Mr. Ford was smiling and waving to everybody on both sides of the roped-off pathway to the tent. I’d like to claim he waved at me, but I’ll settle for stating he at least “waved near me.”
Mr. Ford had been out of office for several years when I saw him. It was a good day for celebrity sightings of others who had joined the ranks of retirees. I saw “Mr. Perfect,” Bart Starr, the former Packers quarterback, hit a perfect drive long and down the middle. Dick Butkus, former great Bears linebacker, crunched a fairway wood that appeared to travel about 300 yards. Years earlier, Butkus would have been more interested in crunching Starr.
When Mr. Obama comes to town, I think sneaking in to see him will be out of the question. I’m hoping the ceremony is moved to the football field to give me a chance for a ticket.
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