Outpouring of joy in Hub

By Herald staff

From all corners of the city, Bostonians reacted with glee, applause and cheers during massive watch parties and celebrations at schools, theaters and workplaces as Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

“I love Obama in my heart,” said Makeila Layne, a 16-year-old student at Madison Park Technical Vocational School in Roxbury, where hundreds of students shrieked, hugged and danced together beneath a shower of balloons after Obama took the oath of office. “Honestly, I thought this would never happen while I was alive.”

In neighborhoods as varied as the Financial District, Roxbury, Copley Square, West Roxbury, Harvard Square and Dorchester, people watched the ceremony on TV screens big and small, and marked the historic day with grand gestures like balloon drops, and quiet reflections on the historic day.

At Copley Square’s Old South Church, whose long ago members boasted a rich anti-slavery history and include the first published African American poet, some 850 people, including Chinese and German tourists, watched the inauguration live on a large screen.

The crowd erupted in cheers when Obama was sworn in and one person yelled “Yeah, Barack” from the balcony.

“This is the most important thing I’ve ever seen in my life and will be in my life,” said Adam Milaszewski, 25, an ESL teacher at EC Boston, who came with 70 students from the private school. “I love my school and I am so happy with to share this with all my students.”

“To grasp the magnitude, (the inauguration) needs to be celebrated in a large group,” added Lauren Chrystal, 22, Northeastern University graduate from Jamaica Plain.

At Brandy Pete’s in the Financial District, a hush fell over the bar when U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein took the microphone just before Obama took the oath.

Dressed in a sharp suit, Gregory A. Pond, 33, began to choke up when asked what the inauguration meant to him.

“I looked at my pregnant wife this morning - she’s six months pregnant,” said Pond, a commercial real estate broker. “I looked at her and said, ‘I am proud that our daughters are going to be born under an Obama administration.’ ”

Most of the bar clapped when Obama was sworn in. One lawyer, having a business lunch, fought back tears.

“It’s emotional. I’m having lunch with people I don’t really know and I don’t want to let a tear fall,” said Ted Folkman, 35.

At Madison Park high, 70 balloons were dropped from the ceiling of an assembly room, where 500 students and staff watched the swearing-in on a large projection screen. Students sold tickets to the event to raise money and planned an inaugural ball afterward.

“He inspires me, not only because he’s black but because he’s brave enough to face this country,” said Breylis Rodriguez Jr., junior class president, who lives in East Boston. “He has a lot of courage.”

Added Cindy Surin, 17, of Dorchester: “This is something we can get hope from. I feel stronger. I can be president if I want to. I can hope big dreams.”

In Grove Hall, where people celebrated after Obama’s election in November, Eddie Fagan, 39, of Dorchester watched the swearing-in on the TV in Edward’s Barbershop as he got a haircut and a shave.

“It tells everyone that they can be president and that’s a good thing. I think he’s going to bring change,” said Fagan, who planned his day around the inauguration, even coming into work late at his job as an orderly at New England Baptist Hospital.

Added John Davis, 51, a Grove Hall liquor store clerk: “I never thought I’d live to see the day. We’re all coming together for real now.”

Mayor Thomas M. Menino joined community leaders at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester, where the atmosphere was jubilant as 400 to 500 people, mostly elderly, watched a live telecast.

Dottie Humphries of Dorchester, who is in her late 60s, said the prospect of an Obama presidency filled her heart with joy.

“(It’s) a brand-new world,” said Humphries, who watched swearing-in at the Strand.

Children at the Beethoven Elementary School in West Roxbury celebrated a “red, white and blue” day. The Noonan Business Academy in Dorchester held a special assembly to honor Dr. Martin Luther King and others who influenced Obama.

Suffolk University students watched the inauguration on large-screen TVs in a student lounge. The JFK Library and Museum opened its doors for a free viewing in the museum’s theater, handing out free copies of President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address.

At Dorchester’s Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School, students marked the swearing-in with an inaugural ball.

jfargen@bostonherald.com