29 January 2009
Gloria Spears takes historic journey
Posted by admin under: News .
Eighty-six-year-old Gloria H. Spears of Narragansett faced Tuesday’s fierce winter temperatures by standing outdoors in Washington, D.C., for five straight hours, waiting to witness the inauguration of the nation’s first African-American President.
While she had two tickets allowing her entrance into a seated area of the inaugural ceremony, arranged by state Rep. David Caprio (D-Dist. 34) of Narragansett
“She’s an institution,” said Caprio, who sought the inaugural ticket for her from Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse. Given her age, he asked for two so that she would have an arm to lean on during what he knew would be “a long, cold day.”
Caprio said when he asked Senators Reed and Whitehouse for the tickets for Spears, “they knew who she was. She’s been so active in the Rhode Island Democratic Party.
“It was so kind of them,” he said of the senators and their efforts to get tickets when competition was so high, “but it was only natural that the tickets should go to her,” Caprio said.
To read the full article in the South County Independent, please click here.
