THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 21, 1995 TAG: 9510210268
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVE ADDIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
A crowd that looked a lot like America - all races, ages and stations jumbled up as one, but in fairly reasonable and friendly order - lined a quiet downtown street Friday to get a glimpse of a man who might one day be president.
The final stop on retired Gen. Colin Powell's nationwide book-promotion tour brought them to Prince Books & Coffeehouse on East Main Street. As a group, it was a mix of serious political supporters and people who sensed that they might easily snatch up a piece of history on a sunny autumn afternoon.
Admitted only on proof that they'd bought a book, and limited to one book signature per customer, each was eager to see the man who has captured the nation's fickle political attention, and equally willing to offer their assessments.
``He's just a good man,'' said Jocelyn N. White, from Newport News, who took a day off work to be there. ``I'm here to help convince him to run for president.
``We've had a good Republican and a good Democrat,'' she said of George Bush and Bill Clinton. ``Now we just need a good man.''
To Bernie Lee, a guitarist for The Perpetrators, a local musical group, Powell ``represents something incredibly positive.''
``And the country needs as much of that as it can get,'' Lee said. ``He represents a mountain of potential racial harmony, and we need as much of that as we can get, too.''
But Lee said he'd rather not see Powell run for president, at least not yet. ``I think he'd be out of his mind to jump into that shark tank. I'd rather see him think about the presidency in four to eight years.''
Still, Lee said, ``I'd vote for him in a heartbeat. . . . The far right of the Republican Party desperately needs a voice of moderation, and that's what he represents.''
``He is such a strong black role model,'' Lee said, ``that even dyed-in-the-wool redneck racists have to give a tip of the hat to this man.''
Cindy Welch, of Norfolk, was in line for other reasons. ``I just kind of want to see him,'' she said. ``He'll make history today - or at least he will when he announces.
``He just represents something that really appeals to me.'' Asked what that might be, she struggled for a moment. ``Gosh, that's really difficult. I just think he'd be a great president. He stands for a lot of women's issues that are important to me. I just kind of like the guy.''
The simple appeal of Powell's bearing was mentioned repeatedly. That's what compelled Alma Hall of Portsmouth to arrive at the bookshop's door at 9 a.m., first in line.
``As an English teacher,'' she said, ``I'm impressed with people who use the English language with power and clarity. And he knows how to use that power.''
Hall, who chairs the English department at Salem High School in Virginia Beach, said she had ``pretty much given up assigning students to write about their heroes. Young people today, they just don't have heroes.
``Now I can go back and talk to them about what a man of heroic proportions he is.''
Just past 3 p.m. she was ushered in, with two copies of ``My American Journey'' in hand. The one-person, one-book rule was waived, it seemed, in deference to the six-hour wait she'd endured for her single moment in the presence of the retired general. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by BILL TIERNAN, The Virginian-Pilot
Supporters flocked to downtown Norfolk to greet retired Gen. Colin
Powell, right, on the final stop of his nationwide book tour. ``He's
just a good man,'' one admirer said.
by CNB