From 1600 Campus Road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue...

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of digging a bit into President Obama's academic past. Most people know he went to Harvard and Columbia. Stalwart universities. Some, not many, know that the skinny kid, fresh out of high school in Hawaii, began his academic studies in 1979 at a very small liberal arts college in Los Angeles, Occidental College. It's a, well, very collegiate-looking campus despite its urban location. Overshadowed by UCLA and USC for sure, however, after my visit, I'm convinced it's a place where I would have felt at home as a student. "Barry" certainly did for two years.

First stop: his first political science professor's home, walking distance from campus. Professor Roger Boesche taught Obama his "inaugural" political science class, and remembered hearing "that voice" for the first time in a discussion group. He said, the kid was smart, thoughtful, and stood out not only for his independent ideas, but also his "medium-sized" afro. The professor, up until recently, had been able to communicate with the pre-Presidential Obama via Blackberry, but alas, all that's changed. He hopes he can get to the White House one day, so that he can introduce his wife to his former student, President Obama.

Next, we met Ken Sulzer, now a very successful lawyer... back then, he was a baseball jock living across the hall from Barry Obama in Haines Hall dorm. It was actually an annex of the dorm catering to a more 'diverse' crowd, as he put it, and a bunch of jocks. Walking into Room A-104 and seeing the twin bed, and bunk beds cramped in with a few desks (yes, they lived three in a dorm room), I couldn't help but feeling oddly curious... I have met Presidents and Presidential candidates before, but never had any direct contact with their personal pasts. Even if it's just being in the same dorm room where he began to crack his first political science books... it felt special. Ken shared stories about how Obama slept by the window, and whenever Ken and one of his roomates would walk by at night they'd bang on that window, just to mess with Obama, and wake him up. They would talk politics, anti-apartheid issues (remember this was 1979) and
they bonded on the basketball court, as well. Ken revealed neither of them was really good enough to play college ball.

But Barry played something called "noon ball" -- Eric Newhall, still a professor at Occidental, used to be a part of these pick-up games between faculty and students every day at noon in the school gymnasium. I spoke to him on the "boards" yesterday, and he recounted that Barry talked a lot of "smack" on the court, and couldn't hold Eric back. Maybe that's just Eric's recollection, maybe it's true. One thing's for sure: everyone remembers this guy Obama as a steady, upstanding dude, who was a lot of fun to be around.

Finally, Jim Tranquada, the Director of Communications for the school, filled me in on how admissions at Occidental are up. Applications are pouring in from prospective students, who feel they can do or be anything they want. No surprise. This is what this man has begun to instill in people, particularly our youth, and that is an incredible achievement. Jim also showed me the steps leading up to the Administration building where Barry Obama made his first "political" speech. It was at an anti-apartheid rally, and they staged a very dramatic ending to his speech whereby a group of white students hauled the black speaker off, in a symbolic move, to underline the racial issue taking place in South Africa at the time. There was no turning back for the man who would be President.

The address of Occidental College, his academic roots: 1600 Campus Road. I kid you not. So, from one 1600 address to the greatest 1600 address of them all.... What an experience to get even a glimpse into this part of Obama's life.