[Magdalen] Naturalization Ceremony

[Grace Cangialosi]

Yes, this is Jefferson's Monticello outside of Charlottesville. The press coverage is always lovely, but I've never attended.

> On Jun 7, 2015, at 8:45 AM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> There's a Monticello (pronounced Mawn-ti-SELL-o) near us.  Would you mean
> the home of Thomas Jefferson?  That would indeed be a wonderful place to
> have a naturalization ceremony. We visited there a couple of years ago. A
> fascinating place.  The efforts made to bring things to life have yielded
> good fruit.
> 
> Always liked Thomas Jefferson. A lot of people think his monument in DC is
> the most beautiful -- not too flashy.  There he stands, larger than life,
> in his Temple, surrounded by his credo, "I have sworn upon the altar of God
> eternal hostility against any form of tyranny over the mind of man."
> 
> Yes, that would be a great place to take the kids to see what this
> country's all about.
> 
> James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> *“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
> except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
> 
>> On Sat, Jun 6, 2015 at 7:50 PM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> They have a naturalization ceremony up at Monticello every year on the
>> Fourth of July and I keep thinking it would ba a good things to take some
>> of the grandkids to. Maybe this year...
>> 
>>> On Jun 6, 2015, at 7:37 PM, Esther Williamson <momohl1 at cox.net> wrote:
>>> 
>>> 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
>>