Inauguration Day

All inauguration days are historical events and remembered for many reasons. It is amazing that for over 200 years and for 43 times, our country has changed leaders peacefully. To be honest, most of them came and went for me with only a passing interest of someone who does follow news and history closely.

One that does stands out for me is the Kennedy inauguration (Jan. 1961). I was in sixth grade, and it would have been a time before class rooms had TV's. I'm sure over the years the repeated images have been replayed so often that it's hard to recall specifically what were impressions of a 6th grader and which were formed later.
I remember thinking it was cool that Robert Frost, a poet we studied in school was reading one of his poems. I thought that Kennedy wearing a top hat was strange and very old fashioned. It was so obvious it was cold, seeing the speakers' breath.

But I realized, partially then and more so over the next years or so, that the real significance was the youth of JFK. He was of a new generation; he was the first president born in the 20th century. For adults he was "one of them".

For me Obama's inauguration is significant for the same reasons. Surely the fact that he is bi-racial is remarkable given the history of this country. But for me the significance is that he does represent a new generation. He is the first president born in the last half of the 20th century. Born 1961. He is not a "baby-boomer".
My generation, to date, has provided two presidents: Clinton and George W. Both brought strengths to the office and great shame. I doubt that either will have many elementary schools named after them.

But Obama offers a hope that maybe the next generation of leaders will be better than my generation of leaders. Both set a pretty low bar, so it shouldn't be hard for him to be better. Given the times, he will need to be much better.