Jimmy Cochran wasn’t going to miss history this time around.
The chairman of the Lenoir County Democratic Party and his wife left town Friday for Washington, D.C., to attend the 57th Presidential Inauguration.
Barack Obama formally began his second term as the nation’s 44th president on Sunday after a private swearing-in ceremony at the White House. On Monday, he took the oath of office again in a very public ceremony.
An estimated 900,000 people filled the National Mall on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Cochran was proud to be among that number.
“That Mall was packed with people,” he said in a telephone interview Monday as he recalled the experience.
He said people from several different states stood with him, including a reporter who was looking to interview visitors from Pennsylvania.
“There were people right next to us all the way from California,” Cochran said. “They were young, too.”
In 2009, he watched on TV as the nation’s first black president took office. But Monday he and his wife took a cab to the Mall, arrived at 5 a.m. and waited an hour and a half to be admitted to see the ceremony in person. The day’s events included the swearing-in of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, a highly anticipated inaugural address from the president and an inauguration parade.
“The president gave an awesome speech (and) I missed it last time,” Cochran said shortly after Obama spoke Monday. “We wanted to be a part of history. A lot of people were saying they just wanted to be here.”
He sat near the Reflecting Pool, close to the same area Lenoir County Board of Elections Chairwoman Sharon Kanter stood four years ago.
She attended her first inauguration in 2009, celebrating with the candidate she enthusiastically supported throughout the 2008 presidential campaign.
“I had worked very hard for Barack Obama,” Kanter said. “I was weeping while he spoke. I remember how he looked.”
She said the temperature was “bitterly cold” and she wished Obama was wearing a hat.
She recalled First Lady Michelle Obama’s pastel green dress and heels, too.
“Michelle Obama’s dress and coat were beautiful beyond what the cameras could capture,” Kanter said joyfully.
She drove up with another Kinston resident and navigated the city using the Metro train system, with perfect strangers offering subway guidance and overall generosity. About 1.8 million visitors were on hand for Obama’s first inauguration.
“The atmosphere of the city was one of openness, helpfulness and friendliness,” she said. “I kept thinking, ‘This is what America looks like.’ ”
Kanter said because the country elected Obama as its first African American president, it shows the progress of the nation.
“That particular inauguration in 2009 was a watershed historic moment,” she said.
Cochran said the second time around validates Obama’s worth as president.
“He was so optimistic, and he set his vision for the future of the country,” he said. “I’m going to try and be optimistic like the president and say, although we have a lot of issues, we should be able to work together.”
Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 or at jessika.morgan@kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.