Competition to get into the parade was fierce. The Presidential Inaugural Committee had 1,382 applications three or four times the usual number for the 94 spots, says spokesman Brent Colburn.
Hunt, who plays the mellophone, an instrument similar to the French horn, says he's looking forward to having a place in history. The election of the nation's first black president “shows me that anything is possible in the world if you set your mind to it and go for it," he says.
The black-and-gold-clad band, renowned for its energetic shows and high-stepping precision, has grown used to high-profile gigs over the years, including President Bush's first inauguration, the first Super Bowl, the Bicentennial celebration at the Washington Monument and the inauguration of Liberian President William Tolbert in 1971. That accounts for the “World Famed" usually added to its title.
But this performance, at this moment in history, carries special meaning for the band and the university. Grambling is a historically black college. Out of the nearly 5,200 students who attended the school in 2007, about 4,500 were African-American.
“Our band has had many honors over these many years," says Horace Judson, Grambling's president. Marching on Tuesday, though, “is not just another honor. This inauguration is not just another inauguration."
Every band member interviewed supported Obama's campaign. Many gave him their first-ever presidential vote.
Senior Dawn Wilson, 21, who plays the trumpet, has traveled to Pasadena, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Miami, Reno and other cities with the band. This trip, however, already ranks No. 1 on her list. Wilson's family and friends from Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama are traveling to Washington to see her perform as history is being made. “I'm proud, and so are my family and friends at home," she says.
Grambling is the only participant from Louisiana. Among the other units: a high school mariachi band from New Mexico, an Eskimo dance group from Alaska, a Marine Corps junior ROTC color guard and drill team from Missouri and groups from other historically black colleges, including Delaware State University. “The application pool definitely looks like America," Colburn says.
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