Western trio to meet Obama

Seven others will see candidate backstage at DNC

By Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 19, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Three of the 10 people who were picked to meet Barack Obama backstage at the Democratic National Convention are from states in the West.

One is John Volkmar, of Boulder, who served two tours of duty in Iraq and is now pursuing an MBA with the goal of working in the alternative energy industry.

He was profiled by the Rocky Mountain News last week.

Kayla Whitaker, 20, of West Fargo, N.D., initially thought someone was playing a prank on her when she learned that she had been picked.

"I was in disbelief," she said Monday. "I was surprised that they would pick a 20-year-old kid from North Dakota. I had to call the lady back to make sure it wasn't a joke. I was pretty excited."

Whitaker, a photojournalism major at Minnesota State University at Moorhead, had checked Obama's Web site in November, when she was trying to decide which candidate to support.

Whitaker had never voted before, so she was also checking out Republican candidates, such as Gov. Mike Huckabee.

"This would be my first election," she said. "I never really got involved in politics until now."

But it was Obama's "Call for Renewal" keynote speech on faith and politics that he had made in 2006, which she read on his Web site, that got her attention. "I appreciate his attitude toward different faiths, his strong belief and being respectful (of different faiths)," said Whitaker, who says she is a Christian.

She decided to donate to Obama's campaign and write a few lines for the essay contest.

Whitaker said she would like to discuss health care with Obama if given the chance before his acceptance speech.

But she admitted: "I will probably be too starstruck to say anything."

Barb Sackman, 35, of Fallon, Mont., has been a first-grade teacher for 13 years. Her husband, Marty, grows wheat and raises cattle.

Sackman also grew up on a farm, with her father raising corn and sugar beets.

Sackman has been a lifelong Democrat, following in the footsteps of her father, but she never dreamed that she would be able to meet Obama, whom she supports.

"I feel strongly that he can make a difference for us," she said.

"I'm excited that he's interested in Montana and family farmers. I'm also excited that he wants to reform education. He finds fault with No Child Left Behind and wants to make changes."

Sackman said she wanted to tell Obama that she's a supporter and that he's making change possible for people, including for her.

"This is not ever something that would happen to me," she said. "I come from a community where things like this don't happen."

Rounding out the list of those who will meet Obama are:

* Lenny Julius, of Emerald Isle, N.C., a retired naval officer who once served with John McCain. An auto parts manager, he says there are a number of "closet Barack supporters" in his heavily Republican town.

* Anne Rector, of Indianapolis, a retired budget analyst for the federal government. She hosts a weekly radio program called Art and Review, in which she reads to the blind.

* James T. Fondriest, of Massillon, Ohio, a 22-year-old law student and active Bush supporter in 2004.

Although he still identifies himself as a Republican, he made more than 500 "Buckeyes for Obama" T-shirts leading up to the Ohio primary and donated the profits to Obama's campaign.

* Marsha Shearer, of Orlando, Fla., a retired elementary school principal. She was a supporter of Obama even before he decided to run for president.

* Trinace Johnson, of Richmond, Va., a single mother and a disabled veteran who served in Iraq. She became motivated to get involved in this election when her neighborhood ran out of ballots in the primaries.

* Eric Melder, of Carlisle, Pa., who has worked at the Diakon Wilderness Center for the past 13 years, counseling young men with drug, alcohol and family problems. An evangelical Christian, Melder switched his allegiance from Huckabee to Obama.

* Holly Miowak Stebing, of Anchorage, Alaska, a 20-year-old Alaska Inupiaq. She is spending her summer break from Stanford University interviewing native elders about their experiences with segregation.

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