Mass. to inaugurate first black governor

By GLEN JOHNSON, AP Political Writer 24 minutes ago

BOSTON - Springlike weather fell over the state's first outdoor gubernatorial inaugural ceremony Thursday, as Deval Patrick visited a hospital and went to church before being sworn in as the first black governor of Massachusetts.



The governor-elect, who was returning the Corner Office to Democratic control for the first time in 16 years, started his day before dawn, continuing to work on his inaugural speech before making an unpublicized visit to Children's Hospital to visit ailing patients and their families.

"The governor-elect is very big on symbolism, just as he was on Election Day, when he finally spread the ashes of his late mother," said Patrick spokesman Steve Crawford.

Afterward, Patrick was whisked off in a motorcade escorted by State Police motorcycles to an interfaith service at the Old South Meeting House. The multidenominational service featured readings by ministers of various faiths, as well as a variety of music.

"I hope you can feel the joy in this room and the sense of expectation that accompanies it," said the Rev. Peter J. Gomes, a religion professor at Harvard University, Patrick's alma mater. "You can't do what you are about to do on your own. You will need a lot of help."

Gomes also celebrated Patrick for heading up to the Statehouse earlier this week in an unsuccessful effort to lobby legislators to vote against a 2008 ballot question proposing to ban gay marriage in Massachusetts.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070104/ap_on_re_us/patrick_inaugural

All the cops and TV trucks are out there.

Wheeee!! :dem: