Flight attendant chats with Obama's brother
AN AIR stewardess from Nottingham has told how she met Barack Obama's half-brother Samson on a flight to America.
Dawn Stewart, of Sherwood, was working in the first class cabin when she heard he was among passengers flying to Washington Dulles Airport on Friday.
Miss Stewart, who also works part-time for BBC Radio Leicester, asked for a brief chat with Samson Obama, known as Abo, who was on his way to the US capital for the presidential inauguration.
She said: "I asked him about how he feels being the brother of the next president. He said 'I can't tell you the depth of excitement we feel'.
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"I asked what he was like as a teenager and he said he was always charismatic and calm.
"I asked what was the significance of a black president and he said, 'it doesn't matter that he's black. He relates to all people'."
Miss Stewart said that Samson, from Kenya, had never travelled before, but proudly showed her a headed letter from his half-brother requesting his three-week visa.
"He was very unassuming. He said he had done a few interviews, including one with Reuters," said Miss Stewart, who returned home on Sunday. "He is successful in his own right, I believe, but doesn't quite grasp the importance of who he will be.
"There were so many successful black people. Some had tickets for the inauguration. Others were desperate to get one."
She added: "I ran a competition and the passengers had to write a poem including the words Barack Obama and inauguration.
"He (Samson) asked if he could read them and he said 'can I keep them? I want to show them to Barack'. Everyone was so excited."
Up to two million people – the largest gathering ever seen in Washington – are expected to turn out to see Barack Obama become the 44th president of America today.
jon.robinson@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk
Comments
by marian, Notts
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 1:31PM
“Indeed he nannot Daz!”
by Mr Mojo, Mapperley
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 1:08PM
“I banged into Liz Hurley once whilst leaving a restaurant in London.....literally.
I must have knocked her 5 feet and the poor lass ended up flat on her backside in the street.
All credit to her though. As I helped her up, she said it was a long time since she'd fallen for a fella in such a hard way.
I've always had a bit of a soft spot for her ever since.”
by Mr Mojo, Mapperley
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 12:59PM
“There once was a man named Barack,
Who had to deal with some trouble in Iraq,
To please the nation,
After his inaugaration,
He dropped a very big bomb on them.
Do I win a prize ?”
by marian, Notts
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 12:39PM
“We're all a bit jealous really, well I am........I'm searching my mind for famous people to name drop....NOTHING!”
by Daz, Nottingham
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 12:25PM
“My sisters brother in laws cousin has got a friend who has a half sister who is in a music society where one of the band members has a friend who once played on the stage at the London paladium with a man who once saw Margaret Thatcher on the telly.”
by James, The Park, Nottingham
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 11:30AM
“You cheeky scamps... you didn't include that poem bit yesterday! I take it all back, this is a serious scoop!”
by Andy, Nottingham
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 11:00AM
“I'm getting a bad case of deja vu. This wasn't news the first time.”
by Bored Ona Tuesday, Notts
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 10:06AM
“"but doesn't quite grasp the importance of who he will be".
Now that he has met me, the lass in first class.”
by The Equaliser, Pastures New
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 10:00AM
“Aaah! . . . but such times you had in that wheel . . . !”
by Bill, Keywortht
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 9:28AM
“I knew The Equalisers hamster, not in the biblical sense of course, so that will not make the NEP front page.”