Published: January 12, 2009 04:30 pm      

‘What an honor’

Local residents thrilled to attend inauguration

When Barack Obama ran for president, Dr. Fred Crockett of Danville didn’t think the senator had a chance.

“But he kept going and he kept going …” Crockett recalled. “It brought tears to my eyes when he won — and (to see) the changes America has progressed to.”

For Crockett and his wife, Lou’, the inauguration on Jan. 20 is a symbol of how far America has come over the past few decades.

For others, it’s a chance to witness history in the making.

The Crocketts and other local residents will travel to Washington, D.C., next week to watch Obama become the first African-American president. They all have tickets through U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson’s office.

“It’s an historic occasion you can cherish the rest of your life,” David Groves said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Groves plans to attend the ceremony with father and son, Dwight and Dwayne Lucas, as well as a fourth unidentified person.

For Karen Jones-McKissack of Danville, the excitement mounts as the day draws closer.

“I am honored and humbled by this,” she said. “I feel like I’m one in a million — who would have thought?”

Even people without tickets will try to get a glimpse of the action, including former Oakwood resident Amanda Norris.

“Like the other millions of people in D.C. that weekend, I will probably just be trying to get as close to the Capitol as possible to see or hear anything I can,” said Norris, an attorney in Washington.

Work pays off

The swearing in of the first African-American president is a reward of sorts for the Crocketts, who were active in the civil rights movement, starting in the 1940s.

“The segregation was intolerable,” Crockett said, recalling being banned from restaurants and bowling alleys, and being segregated in theaters.

He and Lou’ met at the University of Illinois; she was on the university’s Interracial Committee.

After studying at the University of Michigan and doing his medical internship at other places, the couple moved to Danville in 1956. They couldn’t find decent housing, however, because Realtors wouldn’t show blacks housing north of Voorhees Street.

They tried to get the city to adopt a fair housing program, Crockett said, adding, “I begged, screamed, kicked and they said ‘no way.’”

When Quaker Oats came to town and needed housing for its black engineer, that’s when things changed, he said. The company threatened not to come to town if its engineer couldn’t find decent housing.

Robert Randall was the only Realtor to show housing north of Voorhees to blacks, Randall said. Although he took heat for it, he said, "It was the right thing to do." He showed the Crocketts a house on North Logan Avenue, and in 1969, the family became the first African-Americans to move north of Voorhees.

The Crocketts also staged sit-ins at the bowling alley until they were allowed to bowl.

Crockett had been state president of the Illinois NAACP and on the national board. Crockett went to jail a few times during protests in Chicago and Washington, D.C.

The worst segregation, however, involved his medical practice. When he did surgery at St. Elizabeth Hospital, his black patients were put in one room — no matter what their illness was.

“We worked it out,” he said. The doctor agreed not to sue if the hospital would stop segregating his patients.

Despite all the problems, the Crocketts are proud of Danville, saying the town has been good to them.

The day after Obama was elected, they called Johnson’s office for tickets. They had already decided earlier that they were going to the inauguration — whether Obama or Hillary Clinton won. Either event would be historic.

Johnson called a few days later and told Lou’, “You know you’re asking for gold.”

Still, he gave them a couple of tickets. Other family members got tickets on their own, including all five of their children and some of their spouses, as well as four of the 10 grandchildren.

Happy accident

Jones-McKissack got her two tickets by accident. She called Johnson’s office and made inquiries on behalf of someone else, then forgot about it.

She planned to watch the event on TV.

One night, she was at a restaurant when her cell phone rang. It was Johnson, who asked if she was going to the inauguration.

When she said “no,” Johnson responded, “Well, you’re going now.”

Johnson cited Jones-McKissack’s past work as a Vermilion County Board member as a reason she was chosen.

“I felt so humbled at that moment,” she said. “What an honor.”

Jones-McKissack plans to take her daughter, Kimberli McKissack of Merrillville, Ind. The two were heavily involved in watching the election.

“The excitement was overwhelming,” she said, explaining she watched the election from the beginning to the end.

Jones-McKissack quoted her daughter as saying, “Mom, I feel like I hit the lottery.”

“This is worth more than the lottery,” her mother responded.

Jones-McKissack said, “For my daughter, this is a legacy she can leave her children. It’s something they can talk about for years.”

Jones-McKissack has spoken to Obama and e-mailed him in the past, but still, she said, “I could have never imagined this. I don’t take it for granted.”

Jones-McKissack is an academic adviser at Danville Area Community College, and her daughter is a paralegal.

‘Great president’

Even before he learned that he would receive two tickets, Groves planned to attend the inauguration anyway.

“Getting the tickets is an added plus to ensuring we go,” he said. Groves, the Lucases and a fourth person plan to drive to D.C.

He was excited when he got a letter from Johnson saying that he would receive the tickets, and then Johnson followed up with a phone call.

“Tim and I talk a lot about issues in the community,” said Groves, a former member of the Danville District 118 School Board.

Like others, he never thought he’d see this historic event, but added, “It’s something I want to be part of. America has chosen a great president.”

Looking at the bigger picture, he said, “This gives a lot of hope to any young man who struggles. If you put your mind to it, you can do anything.”

Positive energy

Amanda Norris, formerly of Oakwood, is on a waiting list for tickets with Johnson’s office. She also put her name on Sen. Dick Durbin’s list, but was told he probably would not have enough tickets. People with tickets are admitted to an area with seats, while non-ticket holders will be in another section.

Just the same, she’s excited about it, saying, “It will be fun to attend such an historic inauguration and see all of the people and events in D.C. because of it.”

She added, “It seems like there has been a lot of positive energy in D.C. since the election, and it’s exciting to see people who seem to care so passionately about what’s going on in the government.”

Norris is a 2001 graduate of Oakwood High School, and is the daughter of Margaret Norris of Danville and Allen Norris of Oakwood.