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The Commander-in-Chief
Inaugural Ball By Ruth Adkins Robinson

W
hen I answered my phone, Suzanne ranking people from Public Affairs--
Coston asked, “Are you available,” Major Andra Higgs, Lt Commander
which is Tvspeak for you’ve got a Charles Summers and Tom Menegrin,
job offer. I said “Who is it for?” She who directed the show from a truck a
answered, “The Commander in Chief.” football field away. Lt. Commander
“The Commander in Chief of what?” She sort Brenda Steele and Lt. Karen Love
of laughed and said, “The United States.”  hung in there with us. Hoorahs, Aye
 After about two seconds considering a big Ayes and Who-ah to Colonel Hiram
money job I was setting aside, I said, “When do Bell and all the other brass.
we go?” The reply: “Tomorrow—a week out.” We squeezed somewhere to watch
Blissfully excited, we had no idea what the Sunday’s HBO event on the Lincoln
next week would bring us. We soon decided we’d steps. Tears came when 89-year-old Pete
lost our minds, but in the name of being part of Seeger, sang “This Land Is Your Land.”
history and in the name of Barack Obama, here Half-a-million people there got to hear this
we were, trying to translate what WHCA, PIC, old song we all sang in the ‘60s when protest
AFIDS and all the other designations meant as was part of the air we breathed. “In the squares
we set course to produce the Commander-in- of the city,” Woody Guthrie wrote, “by the shadow
Chief’s Inaugural Ball, one of the ten official of the steeple, by the relief office--I saw my people.”
balls that was exclusively dedicated to the Armed Every day of the week, we did see our people--all social and
Services, for live broad- economic strata, with their faces full of
cast over The Pentagon happiness, glowing with triumph.
Channel to all ships, bar-   On Inaugural Day, I walked out of our
racks, hospitals and mili- hotel, The Liaison, just about a block away
tary installations around from the Capitol and looked West. It was
the world—a total view- 4 am yet there was already an incompre-
ership of some 15 million hensible mass of peaceful citizens, gently
people with another 23 trying to move forward, just wanting to
million watching news be there when he Actually, Swear to God,
clips from the event. Unthinkably, Gloriously became the 44th
We had no produc- President of the United States. Two-
(l-r) Suzanne Coston, Suzanne de Passe, Ruth Robinson
tion office, no produc- million people standing for eight hours
tion staff and only two acts set and not one arrest, just tears, hugs and cheers.
when we walked in the door. Executive producer Suzanne de Passe,
We knew other people in town who committed us to the project under her
and were able to borrow Ted newly formed iDream Productions banner,
Sroka from the MTV Ball for a used her considerable personal clout and got
quick run at script supervising. George Lopez to host, Smokey Robinson to
We got offers of other people, perform and Chris Tucker to do some stand-
but being credentialed for one up during the ball. Coston had to wrangle
event doesn’t get you access to Josh Groban, Jordin Sparks and Jon Bon
others without that mysterious Jovi. I had to figure out how to make their The iDream team under the
Presidential Seal
something called the Underlay, (l-r) Suzanne Coston, Colonel Melinda introductions relate to the crowd. Did you
Morgan from the Pentagon Channel,
which we learned was akin to and Ruth Robinson
know that Bon Jovi is the son of two Marines? See what I mean? We
the Holy Grail. were given “the world’s greatest ‘70s tribute band named Right On. It
 In hotel lobbies and banquet rooms, on dinner was hysterical to see these guys in four-inch platforms and lots of gold glitter up there jam-
tables and couches with cell phones sometimes at min’ away, but the crowd loved them.
both ears, we patchworked the event. We called At the ball of some 2,000 were more than 300 wounded warriors from Walter Reed
everybody in town who might be available to per- Hospital. One young man sat in his dress uniform, medals pinned to his chest with no
form. After we pulled them, we had to hope to legs, one arm and a smile that couldn’t be extinguished. I could barely breathe standing
get them through the Secret Service portal to be next to him and walked to the teleprompter unable to read the screen for the tears, but 
able to be allowed in the room. Meanwhile, since we were here to put on the best show for these young fighters and the families of the fallen
we had only one stage we had to figure out how heroes who had died in service.
to run them off and on and, by the way, do it live The President spent more than 15 minutes at this ball. W-a-a-ay more than any others.
with no break-aways to the Pentagon Channel for He joked with soldiers live from Afghanistan. He thanked all the troops in the room. They
commercials, since there is no such thing. were young and enthusiastic and cheered like crazy at their very first opportunity to salute
My head was spinning with the Presidential their new Commander In Chief.
Inaugural Committee, all five divisions of the Luckily the beautiful old building we were in had a fountain right in front of our stage
Military, the Secret Service, the Senior Enlisted and we were able to cover it with the Presidential seal—a glorious backdrop for when
guys who were co-hosting the event, big dogs Obama danced with his First Lady and then as they each danced with a member of the
from the Pentagon Channel (our favorite Lt. active military. Watching him up close, listening oh-so-carefully, it’s clear to me he is the
Colonel Melinda Morgan), and the various President of Dr. King’s Dream and will make us all proud to be Americans again.

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