The Boston College Chronicle

search

Glimpsing the Future

He had a memorable convention speech and a well-received autobiography to his credit, but Barack Obama was still largely unknown when he visited BC three years ago

By Melissa Beecher | Chronicle Staff

Not long after the 2004 Democratic National Convention, First Year Experience Program Director Fr. Joseph Marchese walked into a bookstore in search of a good read. He thumbed through a couple texts, but it was Dreams of my Father, an autobiography of a young Illinois state senator named Barack Obama — whose keynote speech at the DNC had drawn praise far and wide — that held his attention.

"I started reading and was very engaged by the book," Fr. Marchese remembers. "I thought that he would be a great person to have to speak to our students, an inspirational figure that could be a role model."

Fr. Marchese pitched his idea to University President William P. Leahy, SJ, who put him in touch with US Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). Kennedy personally extended Obama an invitation to come to Boston College.

So it was that on Sept. 16, 2005 — a little more than three years before he would win the presidency — Obama, then a United States senator, journeyed to the Heights to speak at the First Year Convocation. More than 3,000 people gathered at Conte Forum that night to hear the future president.

"He was a humble and warm man that immediately put you at ease," says Fr. Marchese of Obama. "I remember students coming from all across campus, streaming in to hear this man speak. There was a tremendous energy that surrounded him, even then."
Many of today's seniors, the Class of 2009, say they will always remember their "sneak peek" at a future president.

"I distinctly remember the story he told about his experiences at the 2000 Democratic National Convention," says College of Arts and Sciences senior Bobak Fatemizadeh. "A campaign of his had just ended in defeat, he was virtually broke, and he didn't have a delegate pass to the convention. He spoke about maintaining hope in the face of failure. Speaking as a senator of the United States only five years from that time in his life, it was a remarkable and, for me, reassuring testament to the power of hope, well before it had become the buzzword of his campaign."

During his speech at BC, Obama talked about how hope and faith helped him overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

"When I decided to run for the United States Senate, nobody thought that somebody with the name Barack Obama could actually win. In fact, nobody could even pronounce my name. They called me 'Alabama,' called me 'yo mama'," Obama said. "And so people were astonished when in a field of seven...I got 52 percent of the vote. People were stunned. I was stunned."

Another A&S senior, Joshua Darr, also remembers the excitement on campus — an excitement that, for him, proved enduring. Darr would go on to lead BC Students for Obama, work with Obama's national campaign and meet the president-to-be on numerous occasions after his visit to BC.

"His great power is the ability to speak to the American people in a way that they understand, and in a way that yes, inspires," says Darr. "Despite all the hype, there has been an undercurrent of doubt and I think throughout his entire career people have underestimated him."

Other BC students, like A&S senior Rhick Bose, admit to mixed emotions about Obama's talk.

"My impression during that time was that he was an unknown quantity," says Bose. "I knew that he was unique, but I wasn't convinced. I hadn't seen enough practical achievements to convince me at the time, and as such I wasn't excited.

"I didn't believe that he was like any other politician — one look at his skin color reminds everyone of that — but I also wasn't yet sure that he wasn't just in it to win it."

Fr. Marchese said FYE is proud to have had Obama on campus, but is equally proud that the following year the Republican presidential nominee, US Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), was the convocation speaker.

"It's very important, and something we need to keep in mind, how Sen. McCain reached across the aisle to the president-elect, in a most gracious way, in his tremendous concession speech," says Fr. Marchese. "For us, we need to use that as a model in what we all need to do in this present crisis. Service, stretching across the aisle with ideas, energy and imagination is what is going to get us through."

To hear Barack Obama's and John McCain's speeches at Boston College, visit http://www.bc.edu/offices/fye/conversations/pastconvocations.html.

To see Joshua Darr's YouTube video, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtvH3TUX2Eg


Other Voices:

"I keep thinking of 1960. By 1959 it was pretty clear that a young senator with limited experience wanted to make a run for the White House.  He was charismatic and full of hope.  But he was a Catholic, and we had never elected a Catholic.   When Kennedy won it was a particularly exciting day for students on this campus.  Beyond that, we had broken a barrier and this gave us hope that all barriers would one day be broken.  That was an historic turning point and this one is as well.  We now know that being an African American is not a barrier to holding our highest office and this brings renewed hope.  I believe we also know as a result of this election that it will not be many more years before a woman is the president of the United States.   What we have achieved in terms of the American dream is historic indeed." -Assoc. Prof. Harold Petersen (Economics)

"Barack Obama leveraged social networks like no other president — even having a Facebook founder on staff. Supporters regularly received highly targeted online video updates from the campaign, and were engaged to communicate and organize via tools the campaign provided. In an election year where presidential primary debates were co-sponsored by Facebook and featured YouTube questions, and where "Saturday Night Live" skits drew record online streaming crowds, the scales have tipped irrevocably. The Huffington Post became more popular than all but a handful of sites from mainstream press.  New media rock stars like Nate Silver with FiveThirtyEight.com were created. The will.i.am video was viewed well over a million times. 
The Net is not just mainstream — it is a powerful political force for reshaping politics.  PoliSci majors better start taking Information Systems classes if they want to have an impact on future campaigns." -Assoc. Prof. John Gallaugher (CSOM)

"Economic and political conditions have created the perfect storm for an overhaul of the health insurance system in the US. With rising unemployment and a credit crisis of historic proportions squeezing American businesses large and small, the archaic employer-based health insurance may finally meet its demise.  These economic factors coupled with a Democratic president and Congress may offer the best hope since FDR of passing national health insurance and ending our dubious distinction as the only nation in the world that believes access to health insurance is a privilege not a right." -Prof. Judith Shindul-Rothschild (CSON)

"The better (by far) candidates won. The better (by far) campaign won. Intellectualism triumphed over anti-intellectualism, personified by Gov. Sarah Palin, one of the worst VP choices in recent memory. Palin will not be a serious candidate for President in 2012 or, I hope, ever.  She may well be elected senator from Alaska, which would be fine.  The Republicans, who were a generation off on their presidential candidate this time, will likely turn to one of their other young (and, I hope, progressive) governors next time.
I do not see fundamental change or the start of a Democratic dynasty here — just the choice of the better candidates, for which I am very thankful.  In fact, given the issues that the new administration will inherit, domestically and abroad, they may be lucky not to suffer significant electoral setbacks in two years, when they will own and be held responsible for these very difficult problems." -McIntyre Professor of Economics Joseph Quinn