Taylor Teamster to be among 40 on Obama train trip

http://www.freep.com/article/20090107/NEWS06/901070406

BY KATHLEEN GRAY • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • January 7, 2009

Roy Gross knows the 120-mile train ride from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17 will be so much more than just a way to get to the presidential inauguration.

"It's just going to be the beginning," said the 49-year-old Taylor resident. "We'll look at it as the definite moment in time when things began to change."

Gross, a business agent for the Teamsters, will be one of 40 everyday Americans who are to join President-elect Barack Obama and his family for a one-day whistle-stop train ride to a four-day whirlwind of inaugural activities in Washington.

The tour is to include public events in cities that hold essential spots in America's history: Philadelphia, Baltimore and the nation's capital, where Obama will be inaugurated Jan. 20.

The 40 people asked to hop on the train are representative of the nation's diversity, including Gross, a single dad of a college-age daughter and former truck driver who has seen many of his friends and coworkers lose their jobs; Kansas City, Mo., social workers Jim and Alicia Girardeau, and Cleveland community activist Liza Hazirjian.

"Each one of these families has their own remarkable story to add to our American story," said Josh Earnest, spokesman for the inauguration committee.

FULL story at link.