By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
For Annetta St. Clair, a Democrat and long-time political science professor at Missouri Southern State University, the inauguration of Barack Obama was a “two-tissue” event.
St. Clair joined hundreds of students, faculty and others to watch the ceremony in Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall Tuesday on a big-screen television.
The auditorium was all but filled by the time Obama stepped to the podium, and most of the crowd appeared to be students and faculty.
Samantha Rusk, a freshman education major from Carthage, arrived early and said she wanted to be there to watch the nation’s first African-American president take office.
Rusk voted for Obama but her friend Jessica Hursh, a freshman biology major voted for John McCain.
“I liked them both, and I’m happy to see this day,” she said.
Jason Kilptrick, an African-American who teaches Spanish at MSSU, said he never thought he would see a day when an African-American would be elected to the highest office in the country.
“I’m not talking bad about America; I just never thought I’d see it,” said Kilpatrick, age 37.
Galen Rea, a sophomore Spanish major from Webb City, nodded in agreement during several parts of Obama’s speech and said he was glad the new president emphasized that it will take the efforts of all Americans to meet the challenges of the day.
“People put the responsibility on politics, but the true success of the nation depends on the individual discipline of each citizen,” he said. “There has to be individual excellence before we can have excellence on the grand scale.”
Rea said he supported Obama, though a registration mix-up prevented him from voting.
“I also support him as a professed Christian, but I’m bothered by his support for abortion rights,” he said.
Seeing Obama take office “makes me feel like I can hang up my flag again,” said Holly Fogerty, an English professor at the university.
Challenges ahead
Conrad Gubera, a long-time sociology professor at the university, said Barack Obama’s inauguration speech reminded him of one in 1961, delivered by President John F. Kennedy.
Gubera, who worked for the Kennedy campaign, said Obama, as a speaker “is no Kennedy, but everything he said is very timely.
“I hope what he said will motivate us all to take on the challenges ahead. It’s going to require shared sacrifice across generations,” he said.
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<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0> 1:41 p.m. Students, faculty gather at MSSU for inauguration
‘I’m happy to see this day.’
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