Local Dems join together

Mary Tsakis said she couldn’t describe the feelings welling up inside her as she watched President Barack Obama take the oath of office.

Tsakis, 73, of Waynesboro, wore a T-shirt, “From a Dream to a Reality,” with the images of Martin Luther King Jr. and Obama.

With a fire warming the lobby of the Residence Inn in Waynesboro, she watched the MSNBC feed of the inauguration with a crowd of about 100 people, many of whom cried as Obama was sworn in and gave his inaugural address.

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Tsakis said. “And I never thought I would see this, but I’m so glad that this happened in my lifetime.”

The Waynesboro gathering bowed respectfully in prayer as Rick Warren led the invocation, and loudly applauded when Aretha Franklin sang “My Country ’Tis of Thee.” The crowd burst out in loud applause as Obama officially became the 44th president of the United States.

At times solemn and joyful, those in the crowd were hopeful for the future of the country.

Joyce Colemon, 60, of Waynesboro, said she never dreamed that she would see this day happen for blacks.

“I’m just so excited and hopeful that we know that with the new president that his plan has already been ordained by God to carry out the success of this country,” Colemon said. “And it may not happen all at once, but I have a great sense of just knowing that he’s going to do it.”

Brandon Rose, 20, of Staunton, said Obama’s speech touched him.

“It’s just another milestone in our lives and I just pray that we continue to meet our goals,” Rose said. “And with him leading our country, I think we’ll be able to go where we need to go.”

Sharon Adams, 65, of Lyndhurst, said she could have stayed home and watched the inauguration on a bigger television, but preferred to be among Obama supporters.

“It’s a thrill, because I just feel like now we can be proud again, proud of our country and proud of all the people who voted to get a good president into office,” Adams said. “It’s just thrilling, I’m just so looking forward to the next eight years.”

Her husband, Richard Bolstein, 68, said he had to go back to 1960 and John F. Kennedy to recall a time when he had been so excited about a presidential election. Bolstein said he also believed Kennedy’s brother Robert would have been the greatest president “up until now.”

Obama’s ideals are reminiscent of those of the Kennedys and King, Bolstein said. Obama has the potential to be the greatest president of all time, he said.

“Barack Obama is saying, ‘Look, we’re all in this together. I’m going to listen to all of you. I may not agree with all of you, but you all are included as a part of America,’ ” Bolstein said. “I don’t know that anybody’s done that.”

Waynesboro Democratic Party Chairman Chris Graham said it was an amazing day for the country, and for Waynesboro. The turnout, he said, showed “an appetite for change.”

“A lot of people in this room worked really hard for this to happen,” Graham said. “We feel like we contributed to the overall effort.”

The work of the future, he said, starts now.

“Things have changed,” Graham said. “We’ve got leadership in place that we feel is going to lead us in the new direction. I’ve been saying that tomorrow we have to get to work, but I think later today we have to get to work doing some of the things we need to do to get the country moving again.”