Frankford Gazette

President Obama was in Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 13, 2016. He was campaigning for Hillary Clinton and something special happened. Candidate Katie McGinty,  PA representative Bob Brady, and Governor Wolf spoke at this event. And while we’ve heard  the messages of stumping politicians, something special happened here.

President Houston thanks Houston for his intro

Now, Obama can excite a crowd, but this article is not about Obama or the others. This article is about the youngster who introduced the President;  it’s about the Frankford native Patrick Houston.

Houston was born into a very large and very poor family of loving siblings. They lost their mother in 1993 and the father passed away in 1999. These parents were special. They existed for their children and nothing else mattered. He, Mr. Alexander Houston Sr, was a truck driver and Patricia Houston was the ever attentive homemaker. Both were giants in their own right, were religious and, I repeat, dedicated to their children. Now, at only 21, their youngest son Patrick, a senior at Swarthmore  College, is on the move.

So on Tuesday, after speeches from McGinty, Brady and Wolf, Patrick came to the stage and really WOWED us. Ok, so in the interest of full disclosure he is my baby brother but his speech was impressive. The Swarthmore papers and online articles as well CBS, NBC and news outlets up and down the east coast and Australia have published articles about him. They said that Patrick reminded them of a young Obama: confident, articulate and in control of the moment.

Patrick told CBS Philly, “I had a big responsibility, I had the great privilege of introducing one of my greatest role models, President Barack Obama,” and “It’s almost like there’s no time to be nervous. This was a time to carry this message,  to do my part.”

“I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams,” he said. “And I’m really grateful for the opportunity.”

“As the youngest one in the family who spent very little time with mother, now he’s inspiring our whole family, (once again) to grow,” said Patrick’s older brother Vinson.

Patrick Houston is a Green Advisor at Swarthmore College and is a member of the President’s Sustainability Research Fellowship Program, a partnership of the College’s Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, the Office of Sustainability, and Environmental Studies.

So while many horrible things are happening in our community and around the world, there are success stories. There are people as well as members of the media who realize our duty to nurture our youth and always display a willingness “to spend and be spent” for our children and families. This is why all of Patrick Houston’s siblings are productive members of society and it is a testament to love, to family, to responsibility and to a Higher Power because we were fortunate enough to be born to a good man and a good woman and that has made all the difference.

References:

CBS Philly

Swathmore College on-line articles

The Daily Gazette

The Phoneix

C-span

The Daily Times News