College students from Hays also at festivities
By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN
Tyler Longpine got quite familiar with Washington the past four years while working for the Democratic National Committee.
But the Hays native and Hays High School graduate said he never thought he'd get to see a president's inauguration.
But Longpine, a 2006 graduate of the University of Kansas, was to join the crowd that included thousands of college and high school students on hand to witness today's historical inauguration of President Barack Obama.
"I got to see a lot of Washington," Longpine said, "but I never thought I'd be able to be a part of something like this. It's like a front-row seat in history.
"Initially, I didn't think I wanted to deal with the crowds," Longpine added. "But when the opportunity arose, I thought I'd better take advantage of it."
Several college students from Hays also received tickets to brave the cold for the chance to be a part of history on the National Mall.
Kyle Werth, a 2007 graduate of Thomas More Prep-Marian High School, is a sophomore at KU who received an invitation to the inauguration as a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Nathan Augustine and Tyler Berry, who graduated from Hays High in the spring and now are freshmen at Fort Hays State University, are in Washington as part of the National Youth Leadership Forum.