A look at past and future presidents

When this column began nearly 10 years ago, it didn't occur to me my thoughts would appear on some significant dates.

For instance, election days always fall on Tuesdays.

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, readers opened to a column about Naperville North High School chemistry teacher Lee Marek's taking a group of students to New York City to appear in the Weird Science segment with David Letterman.

This year marks the first time since I've been writing that Inauguration Day - changed officially by the 20th Amendment from March 4 to Jan. 20 in 1933 - has been on Tuesday.

If you've heard it once, you've heard it 1,000 times: today's inauguration is a historic first. Expectations are high. What's left to say?

In December, I received a set of flash cards with historic facts and trivia about the first 43 presidents. Remembering the literary card game of "Authors" I played in my youth, I started creating a guessing game of presidential firsts to fill this space.

Sample: In 1937, who was the first president to take the oath of office on Jan. 20, the second of four times he was sworn in to serve?

Then Thursday I was sidetracked.

In an instant, reporters embraced the story of a hero who miraculously landed a jet on the Hudson River. Teams of first responders demonstrated their tactical recovery capabilities.

Even here in Naperville, skilled men and women respond immediately when called. They've been trained and drilled to prevent and handle all kinds of emergencies we - and they - hope never happen.

I became mindful how much we've learned to respect first responders and preparedness since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the devastation created by horrific hurricanes.

I also began to think about the brave men and women who fought for our freedoms so millions of people can assemble in Washington, D.C., to witness the gravity of today's celebration.

Picturing Obama

The first and only time I saw Barack Obama in person was at North Central College, shortly after he was elected senator. As he addressed the audience from the podium, I took his photo. Even then, I think we all pictured him on a bigger stage.

For an Eagle Scout project a few years ago, a Boy Scout from Naperville Central High School organized and labeled thousands of my photos taken over 12 years to use, in part, during Naperville's 175th Anniversary year.

The other day I found that Obama photo taken at Pfeiffer Hall filed under "Unusual Photos 2004." (Among other images the Scouts deemed "unusual" that year were photos of Ron Buonauro crooning with a costumed gorilla at a Rotary/Sunrise Beaux Arts Ball and a pyramid of gymnasts performing at Tabor Hills.)

Enduring words

Anticipating Obama's inaugural address, I recently read 55 inauguration speeches from George Washington through George W. Bush. Beginning in 1789 when America's population was 4 million, I followed our nation's journey from its earliest days through the eyes of this exclusive group.

As our country progressed, their words celebrated technological triumphs from the telegraph to the steam engine and from the moon to the Internet. I noted our country's expansion to new territories across the Mississippi River and all the way west.

I discovered George Washington's second inaugural address was the shortest.

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson, first to take the oath in Washington, D.C., also was first to have his inaugural speech reprinted in a newspaper.

William Henry Harrison presented the longest speech - one of the most interesting to me. Plus, as a newspaper person, I couldn't imagine standing on a frigid blustery day to cover it.

But by reading, I plucked one of Harrison's thoughts, as relevant today as it was in 1841: "The maxim which our ancestors derived from the mother country that 'the freedom of the press is the great bulwark of civil and religious liberty' is one of the most precious legacies which they have left us."

You can bet I'll be glued to the TV to watch and listen as Barack Obama takes his oath.

And while I was unable to embrace many of the ideas presented during the campaign, I join all Americans who want our great nation to succeed under our new president's watch.

The start of a new administration creates the opportunity for new enthusiasm and fresh ideas. Considering all the aspirations of the past 220 years, I hope we can be realistic - and patient.

• spennydh@aol.com.