Published: January 27, 2009 01:16 pm            

Family members travel to Washington, D.C. to be a part of American history

Monticello — Most Wayne Countians watched the historical event on television, but one

local family was well-represented in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, January 20

when Barack Obama took the oath of office. Sisters Frances Allen, Mildred

Coffey, Ada Waddle, and Phyllis Cowan, along with their niece Crystal Cowan,

could hear the words spoken by the 44th President of the United States from

their vantage-point near the Washington Mall.

It is a trip they will never forget.

"It was just historical," said Frances, as she talked about the

Inaugural visit.

"For us to be together made it even more special," added Frances.

The idea for taking the trip to Washington, D.C. formed soon after Obama

was elected president. The sisters, who are the daughters of Nina Cowan and

the late George Cowan of Frazer, learned that Kentucky Tours and Travel out

of Danville was putting together an Inaugural tour. They passed the

information around to all the siblings and anybody who wanted to make the

trip was invited.

"It was a joint effort," said Ada, as she talked about how her family

began to make plans.

Mildred said she looked over the information and began to consider the

trip. "I thought, I believe I'll go. Then later I thought, I think I will

go," Mildred recalled.

By December 12, there were five family members ready to take the tour

and they booked their trip. They departed from Danville on Sunday, January

18 and traveled throughout the night to reach the nation's capital.

Ada noted that there was a diverse group of people on the tour bus, with

people ranging in age from five to over 70. The tour had plans for several

historic stops in Washington, D.C. but some of the plans were hampered

because of lack of time. The bus spent nearly three hours stopped in traffic

on the way into the city because of a 50 car pile-up on the interstate.

Monday's events included the Martin Luther King, Jr. Tour and a stop at

the Lincoln Memorial. The group spent Monday night at a hotel in Maryland

and then began the trek back to Washington, D. C. early the next morning.

"We left at 6 a.m. Tuesday to go back to Washington, D.C.," said

Frances. "We got off the bus and had to go by Metro rail to the

Inauguration...We got there about 9 a.m."

Ada noted that they dressed in layers, with hats and gloves, to brave

the below freezing temperatures on Tuesday. The group followed their guide

to several areas before they found a place, facing the Capital, where they

could witness the Inauguration.

"We couldn't see them, but we could hear them," said Frances.

Phyllis said the shear number of people who attended the event is

probably the thing that she will remember most. Ada noted that the crowd was

so diverse, with people of all races standing shoulder to shoulder.

"It was so crowded, but there was a lot of togetherness," said Ada.

She recalled how people were so close, and when she bumped into a

gentleman next to her he said that it was okay. "We all love each other

today," he told her.

Ada was also amazed that with all those people together, there were no

arrests on the Mall on Tuesday. People had actually camped out there all

night long in freezing temperatures to make sure they had a spot to witness

the event.

That made it hard for members of a tour group, like the one from

Danville, Kentucky, to find a good spot to see the event. While they could

not see the actual Inauguration, they could definitely hear what was going

on, especially when Aretha Franklin sang "America." "I loved that song,"

said Frances.

"When Aretha sang, we didn't have to see her to know who it was," added

Phylis.

Mildred said they could hear portions of Obama's Inaugural speech,

though the crowds of people were cheering and it was hard to hear

everytthing. "We knew it was his voice," she said.

After the Inauguration had concluded, Ada and Mildred managed to get

near the parade route and take photos. The others warmed up in the Air and

Space Museum.

Ada also had a brush with a celebrity during the trip. She met ABC

newsman Charlie Gibson. He was waiting to an interview and the group was

waiting nearby on their tour bus, when they spotted him. Ada got off the

bus, talked with Gibson and had her picture taken with him.

"He was very nice," she said.

Each one of the women came away with a special memory from the event,

some of which they have shared with others back home. Frances wore her

Barack Obama pin to the classroom at Wayne County Middle School on Thursday,

when she returned to school. She hadn't really talked about attending the

Inauguration, but her students began to ask her about it.

"They asked me if I was there, and I told them I was...They couldn't

believe it," said Frances.

Ada noted that during the tour someone took a video camera around the

bus and asked the question, "What does this mean to you?" Most of them

answered that they were honored to witness history, and many noted that they

never thought they would see this day, when an African-America became

President.

Phyllis said that was a reaction she got when she talked with her

73-year-old uncle, who remembers how things used to be before the Civil

Rights movement.

"I think this meant so much to the older generations who went through

more than we did...They have been so excited by this," said Phyllis.

        

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