[Magdalen] Naturalization Ceremony

[Esther Williamson]

Yes it is. I really enjoyed it.
Esther

On 6/6/2015 7:23 PM, Grace Cangialosi wrote:
> This is lovely, Jim--thanks!
>
>> On Jun 6, 2015, at 3:42 PM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Had an interesting afternoon yesterday.
>>
>> Went to the Wallace center, a part of the FDR Library and Home in Hyde Park
>> as a driver.  They were having a naturalization ceremony, and the DAR was
>> supplying refreshments.
>> I've never seen this before, and I wanted to see it.  It turns out it's
>> like so many other things.  Hurry up and wait.
>> Homeland Security now must speak individually with each candidate. Among
>> other things, they ask them if they have changed their mind since applying
>> for citizenship.
>> H S had a group in the morning in Rockland County, and were apparently
>> delayed for two hours, so everybody had to wait for them.
>> This gave our county executive, Marcus Molinaro, a chance to practice his
>> stand-up routine "I have a lot of jokes <pause> some of them are funny."
>> After a particularly lame joke, he pointed to one lady, "Excuse me ma'am. I
>> see you are laughing.  Did you REALLY think that was funny? Yes? And where
>> are you from, ma'am?  Jamaica? Oh I have to get down there to talk."
>> He gamely went on poking fun at himself for about fifteen minutes ("If
>> someone somewhere is opening an envelope, I will be there!")
>> He was always interested in politics as a young man, and he got tired of
>> hearing the trustees in his village saying, no matter what the subject,
>> "Oh, we can't do that." He learned a bit about representative gummint, and
>> he suddenly realized that if he wanted change, he might be the one to start
>> it.
>> He ran for village trustee at eighteen years old -- and won.
>> A year later, he found out the mayor was retiring, and he was starting to
>> enjoy politics. "So I ran home as fast as I could and asked my mother if I
>> was permitted to run for mayor. She said yes, so I did, and I won. I was
>> mayor for twelve years."
>> Marc is now in his forties (I believe). You may hear more of this man in
>> the coming years, he's that good.
>>
>> Eventually we worked around to the ceremony.  Looking out the window at the
>> statue of Eleanor and Franklin sitting on a bench just like plain folks, I
>> looked around at these people (73 individuals were naturalized that day) I
>> felt we obviously have something going on here if these folks are coming
>> here from different lands (There was a map in the room with a stick pin for
>> every country: Canada, S. America, Vietnam, Russia, Africa, the usual
>> European suspects)
>>
>> We started out by singing the national anthem in a sort of organum.
>>
>> And then the oath itself, including the same words I swore as a non-com,
>> but with a marvelous twist:
>> The administrator went "Repeat after me.
>> I -- state your name --"
>> And they then went around the room. Each of the seventy-three people, one
>> by one, stated their name.  This part touched me so very deeply, but I was
>> totally unprepared for the little incident that happened next.
>> In the midst of this, each person is reciting his name, going around the
>> room in a prearranged order, and then I heard, but it did not fully
>> register until a moment later (Huh? Did that really happen?), one person
>> stated his name:
>>
>> "Ronald Reagan <surname>"
>>
>> Some one person spontaneously clapped. I am glad they did because I would
>> have convinced myself I imagined it. But it was over, and the ceremony just
>> carried on.
>>
>> Two people in front of me were obviously new citizens, and I got the
>> privilege of being the very first person to congratulate them on their
>> citizenship.
>>
>> And then, all in the room now being citizens, we pledged allegiance to the
>> flag<snif>.
>>
>> Then we sang America the Beautiful in sort of parallel thirds.  Sweet.
>>
>> Everybody got their picture taken by friends, standing next to the flag
>> pointing to THEIR stick-pin.  Goodness.  From all over the world....
>>
>> We had a huge pile of cookies and drinks and they were all gone. Yay.
>>
>> I always enjoy visiting the center.  I never knew FDR. He died before I was
>> born. But I've always felt a connection.  We talked about Mrs. Roosevelt in
>> school all the time when I was a kid.
>>
>> When I was an undergrad at Pitt, I had some business in the Cathedral of
>> Learning, and was getting into an elevator. I was chatting with the
>> elevator operator, who was an African-American gentleman. For some reason,
>> the name of Franklin Roosevelt came up, and at that moment, the man took
>> off his hat.
>>
>> He looked me, looked at his hat, looked at me.
>>
>> And then, he said, "He made us feel like he cared about us." I cannot
>> imagine a more noble monument than that doffed cap.
>>
>> Our President could not stand, yet he helped America get back on its feet.
>>
>> And every time I visit, I think of all that....
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
>> *“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
>> except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy