Palisadians Join Together Celebrating Inauguration

Many residents of Pacific Palisades stayed home from work Tuesday morning or arrived late in order to witness the swearing in of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Others gathered around computers in their workplace and at local schools to view the historic transition. At Palisades Charter High School, not only were classroom computers and television sets turned to the ceremony, but Mercer Hall, the largest room on campus, was made available to allow viewing by various students and staff members. Meanwhile, dozens of residents traveled to Washington, D.C. for the day-long ceremonies and evening inaugural balls, and others watched the ceremony from foreign soil. ‘A handful of us watched the inauguration from the JAG office on Victory Base Complex in Baghdad,’ said Rev. Edward Brandt, senior pastor of the Palisades Presbyterian Church, whose Delaware National Guard unit was recently deployed to Iraq. In an e-mail, he continued: ‘Our compatriot, Beau Biden [son the new vice president], was able to take personal leave for the ceremony.’We even e-mailed Beau during the festivities, asking him to remove his scarf so we could see his tie (he did). We ordered pizza, watched a historic moment and were all thankful to be Americans watching a peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another.’ ‘ Back in the Palisades, Rae Jeane Williams, hosted a Barack Obama Inaugural Bash at her home on Edgar Street on Tuesday evening and more than 60 people showed up. ‘I’ve never done anything like this before,’ said Williams, a MoveOn member and a faculty advisor for the teacher education program at UCLA. She had read on the MoveOn Web site that the organization was planning Inaugural Bashes in cities across the country and was urging members to either attend or host one. ‘When I read that, I said ‘No way would I host a party,” Williams said. ‘But then . . .’ Her guests crowded into the modest living room and hallway to watch TV as the Obamas were introduced at one of the inaugural balls. ‘I’m probably the only person who doesn’t have a big-screen TV,’ Williams said. ‘The day has been wonderful and history is being made,’ resident Myra Possman said as television coverage showed members of the military speaking to Obama. When one of the service people admitted to being a Chicago Cubs fan, Palisadian John Weiler commented, ‘He’s [Obama] a White Sox fan.’ The rest of the room listened quietly as the new President of the United States promised military members, ‘We are going to do everything we can to make life easier for you.’ Guests, who were asked to bring a food dish to contribute to the potluck meal, spilled into the kitchen, the den and out onto the patio, where the mood was reflective and the food plentiful on the unseasonably warm January night. ‘It’s a wonderful, healing day for America,’ Palisadian Gregory Alper said. Stan Feinstein, president of the software company Project Remedies, Inc., remembered his Air Force Reserve service in 1965 in Montgomery, Alabama, when he and a friend rented a car and drove to Selma following the famous protest march. ‘Our children don’t know the hate that existed,’ Feinstein said. ‘The cause is not over, but huge progress has been made.’ ‘For me, it came together as I listened to one of the women interviewed on the mall during the inauguration,’ Palisadian Janet Brown said. ‘She was a descendent of a slave, and the election of Obama is like tying up the threads of our history.’ ‘We wanted to pick the smartest, most capable person to be president and he happened to be black,’ said Larry Freedman, also a local resident. ‘I was going to watch the inauguration on TV, but it I didn’t want to be home alone; I wanted to be with other people, so I went to an event earlier today at Venice,’ said Santa Monica resident Linda Rosman. Her husband was at the Sundance Film Festival and their daughter was at school. ‘I met someone who told me they were going to a party in the Palisades and invited me to go along.’ ‘This has a much greater sense of camaraderie,’ being out with people, said Bel-Air resident Sean Holland, who had found the party through the MoveOn Web site. Fourth of July Patriotic Pups organizer Margaret McIntosh summed up the evening best, saying ‘It’s fun to celebrate with a group of like-minded thinkers.’