North Texans Among Thousands In D.C. For Inauguration
WASHINGTON D.C. (CBSDFW) - Hundreds of thousands of people arrived in the nation's capital to watch President Barack Obama's second inauguration, including several dozen proud North Texans.
Almost two dozen journalism students from Southern Methodist University were among the visitors who documented the big event with pictures, videos, texts, tweets, and Skype interviews.
Julie Fancher, who is a senior communications major at SMU, got a seated ticket to the public ceremony.
"I actually sat next to a couple of women who worked with President Obama when he was running for State Senator," she said. "They were really excited to see what he was going to do in his second term with issues on the economy, immigration, gay marriage. This was the most exciting one for them, they said."
But the trek to the National Mall was not an easy one. Many folks had to walk 2-3 miles to get there because of parking restrictions and blocked off streets.
"Not knowing the streets well and having a lot of them closed was a little difficult," said Macey Merrigi, a senior journalism student at SMU.
The energy was palpable, they said. President Obama approached the podium and the crowd was heard chanting, "Obama! Obama!"
The fact that the ceremony took place on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was not lost on anyone. Many visitors shed tears during the President's speech.
Visitors who went to Obama's inauguration in 2009 said this year's event was much smoother, saying it was more organized and it took less time to get through security.
Eighth graders from Dallas International School were in also in Washington D.C. for the big event.
"We went and we saw the inauguration. We got to listen to the President's speech and we got to listen to Beyonce sing the national anthem," said Elli Korn.
The students said they were star struck, not by Beyonce, but by the President and his speech.
They said it was a history lesson they will never forget.
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