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Just look who had themselves an Inaugural Ball!

Everyone knows that the latest Presidential Inauguration came with a Texas swing, but did you know it also had a little Lion Pride jive? Several University alumni found themselves at the party of the year, and according to each it was an experience to remember...

Dr. Jerry King

(BS ’73, MBA ’75, EdD ’87),who as Mayor in Athens, Texas., got his tickets from Rep. Pete Sessions:

“I just really enjoyed it. We flew down on Friday and attended several receptions, toured the Capitol, and toured some exhibits in the Smithsonian. Yes, I saw the George Washington portrait. I had no idea it was so valuable, or I’d have been more careful!

“On Saturday, at the Inauguration, we were pretty close, maybe 200 yards away. It was cold and it was wet, and I loved every minute of it! It was an exciting, historical event. But it was really humbling to think that you’re in the same spot where presidents from the last 200 years have been inaugurated. It’s something I won’t forget. It made you proud to be an American.

“There was major security at every event—Secret Service everywhere, police from all over the country. We saw several people we recognized—movie stars, people from TV, even Governor Jesse Ventura. We knew him because of his three-foot-long cigar and bald head.

“There were loud speakers set up all over the city, I understand, and even large TV screens to broadcast the ceremony. There were a lot of protestors, though, which rather ruined the parade for us. We could’ve paid $25 for better viewing, and we would have if we’d known that we’d get stuck among a group of protestors. They were a little rowdy, though not violent. But I looked up from the middle of the crowd once and saw CNN taping. All I could think was, ‘Oh, no. What if the people of Athens see us on TV with these people and think their mayor is protesting?”

Grad takes Inaugural photo

First Lady Laura Bush chose a photograph taken of her by a graduate of A&M-Commerce as her official Presidential Inauguration photo. Photographer Hillsman S. Jackson, now at Southern Methodist University, photographed then-Texas first lady in 1999 to illustrate a story about her for the SMU alumni magazine. The photograph, which shows Mrs. Bush in a copper-colored suit standing in front of a dozen yellow roses, appeared as her official portrait in all the publications of the 54th Presidential Inaugural, including the official guidebook, media guide, ball programs and inaugural parade program. Hillsman is a 1987 graduate.

Pete Collumb

(BS ‘67), who got his tickets from Rep. Martin Frost and actually had traveled with the Bush campaign: “It was something to see not only Bush and Cheney, but all the cabinet members, too. I worked most of the time, but I had my college-age daughter there with some of her friends, and they had a ball!

“This wasn’t my first inauguration, but this one had a much younger feeling—I’ve never seen so many young people. At least 25 percent of them were under 25, and that really kept it lively.”

Dian Fife

(BS ‘63, MEd ‘64), who, along with her daughter, was Pete’s guest: “The Inauguration was everything that everyone is saying ... awesome!!!

“The view of the Capitol with the swearing in was a vision to remember. The singing of “America the Beautiful” put chill bumps on everyone.

“On the lighter side, there was a cab ride that I will never forget, but would like to. After the swearing in, we got into a cab to go back to the hotel to get ready for the Texas/Wyoming Ball. The trip should have taken no more than 20 minutes; however, we lucked out and got a driver that got lost and wouldn’t stop for directions, so we arrived 2-1/2 hours later at our hotel...stressed!!!!

“The ball was fun. Cheney and Bush came and made short speeches. I had heard that George W had been taking dancing lessons in Austin prior to the Inauguration. He was really cute talking about how he was going to dance longer than 30 seconds.

“As we left the ball, it was snowing and cold. After arriving at the hotel and being in bed for about 1-1/2 hours, the fire alarm went off. We had to evacuate, going out into the snow for about an hour while firemen searched for a fire. Seems as though some of the choir students from Tennessee that were participating in the Inauguration had set off the fire alarm.

“That’s two unforgettable moments that I would like to forget, but we feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to go, and we loved seeing many wannabe Texans wearing boots and hats.”