Ralph S. Northam on Saturday became Virginia's 73rd governor — and only the second governor to hail from the Eastern Shore.
Northam in his inaugural address said he "was blessed to grow up on Virginia's Eastern Shore, and to call it my home."
He credited his father, Wescott B. Northam, and his mother, Nancy Shearer Northam, who died in 2009, with instilling in him the values that still guide him.
Of his mother, a nurse who also volunteered with hospice andtaught children who were learning English as a second language to read, Northam said, "She taught me that, no matter who we are or where we come from, we are all equal in the beginning — and in the end."
Wescott Northam, 93 —a retired Accomack County judge, former Commonwealth's Attorney and a Navy veteran —watched the ceremonyon television at his Onanco*ck residence.
RELATED Virginia Governor-elect Ralph Northam talks Shore roots, priorities for rural Virginia
More:Northam family dog, Murphy, headed for Governor's Mansion
Ralph Northam had this to say about his father's guidance: "Before my brother joined the Navy and I joined the Army, my father always encouraged us to play sports.
"I think he knew we would learn the importance of teamwork and the fundamental truth that success isn’t about one person’s individual contributions, it’s about the team."
Still, Northam said the greatest lesson he learned from his parents he learned by watching how they conducted themselves in the community.
"Their humble and steady service to the people around them taught me what strength looks like. It taught me that you don’t have to be loud to lead," he said.
Northam's speech focused on the importance of having a compass —both literally, in his experiences boating on the Chesapeake Bay, and metaphorically, meaning a sense of moral uprightness.
More:Northam asks for Virginia exemption from offshore oil drilling plan
Background:Eastern Shore native Ralph Northam will be the next Virginia governor
He recalled his father's advice when as a boy he started to venture in his boat from homeout into deeper waters.
"He said, 'Ralph, remember — when you get out there, you can always trust your compass. If things get dark or foggy, if you can’t find your way — keep your eye on the compass. It’ll always bring you home safely.'"
"He was right about that compass," Northam said, adding that the Virginia Military Institute Honor code — "A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal nor tolerate those who do" —later came to serveas his moral compass, and still does.
"We all have a moral compass deep in our hearts, and it’s time to summon it again, because we have a lot of work to do," he said.
Northam has not wasted any time in taking a stand on certain issues — even before he officially took office.
Hewrote a letter Thursday to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior requesting that Virginia be excluded from the Trump Administration's plan to expand offshore oil drilling — an issue of some import to his native Eastern Shore as well as the Hampton Roads region of Virginia.
Additionally, Northam selected a majority-female cabinet— eight of his15cabinet membersare women.
Among them isKeyanna Conner, from Wattsville on the Eastern Shore, whom Northam named his secretary of administration.
The governor from the Shore
An estimated 4,000 people, including dozens from theEastern Shore, attended the inauguration ceremony held at noonin Richmond.
Among those in attendance was Dennis Custis, who taught the new governor U.S. Government at Onanco*ck High School back in the 1970s.
"I went last time, when he was elected (lieutenant governor). He called me two weeks before and said, 'I want you to do me a favor.' I said, 'Sure, Ralph, anything.' He said, 'Well, then, come to the inauguration.'"
"We're going to the inauguration and then we're going to the ball this time," he said.
Custis, when Northam was running forlieutenant governor in 2013, recounted some memories of his former student.
In the classroom, Custis recalled Northam as a very good but meticulousstudent who took most of the allotted time to go over a test before turning it in.
"I knew Ralph would be successful ... but he wasn't one of the kids I pegged as going into politics," Custis said.
Northam credits Custis with helping him achieve his first political victory — when as a high school junior he ran for the office of state attorney general at Model General Assembly in Richmond.
Custis helped him rework his speech, to be delivered before 500 or 600 students from around the state.
Northam won the post.
"I've always been proud of Ralph; he was a gentleman when he was a student. I think he has been a role model for students from the Eastern Shore," Custis said then.
He also recalled Northam was "the last great bunter in Eastern Shore baseball."
The left-handed hitter also usually was good for a stolen base, Custis said.
Custis summed up his impression of the man at the timeby saying, "I don't think politics has changed Ralph — he's the same person I've always known."
Cara Burton, director of the Eastern Shore Public Library, volunteeredat the inauguration. Like many Eastern Shore residents going tothe ceremony, it will be the first time she has been toa Virginia inauguration.
"This is such an historic event, I wanted to be part of it — not to mention that it would be an opportunity to meet a lot of neat people and demonstrate that the Eastern Shore does support the new governor and that we're very proud of him," she said.
She volunteered at a receptionFriday evening,then helped with the parade Saturday.
More:Eastern Shore folks, save your Northam inauguration souvenirs
Kitty and Frank Hall also were attending their first inauguration.
"We are going to, hopefully, see a lot of people from the Shore there," Kitty Hall said earlier in the week.
The couple decided to make the three-hour-plus trek for a couple of reasons.
"One, because I know Ralph and because I am thrilled that he's governor. It's the first governor from the Eastern Shore since Wise — and that's all very special," said Kitty Hall.
Henry A. Wise, elected in 1855, was the first governor from the Eastern Shore.
Northam also was the first lieutenant governor ever elected from the Eastern Shore.
The Halls' other reason for wanting to attend is that they are friends with Judge Glen Tyler, who administered the oath of office.
Tyler also administeredthe oath to Northam when he became lieutenant governor.
"So, a lot of personal reasons, as well as, we are very happy for the state," Kitty Hallsaid, adding, "For me personally, it's a once in a lifetime experience — I've never done anything like this before."
Experiencing politics up close and personalalso played a role in Hall's decision to attend the inauguration.
She has become involved in recent years in the effort to build a new library to replace the half-century-old building in Accomac.
"Now that I'm involved with the library and getting more political, I want to see what goes on — and what doesn't go on," she said.
Another Eastern Shore resident, in addition to Northam and Tyler, also appeared at the podium during the ceremony. Pastor Kelvin F. Jones of First Baptist Church in Capeville gave the invocation.
"Father, I beseech you to touch the hearts of the General Assembly of Virginia — allow them to put aside partisan politics, self-aggrandizement ... but in every decision let them remember what is at stake for every Virginian, regardless of ethnicity, gender or their socioeconomic status," Jones prayed.
He gave thanks for "this auspicious moment in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia as it has elected its first governor from the Eastern Shore in 162 years."
Uncommon during a prayer, acheer rose from the crowd at thewords.
'Seeing a local boy do good'
Bob and Tori Bloxomwere among the Eastern Shore residents in Richmond to watch an old friend take the oath for the highest office in the Commonwealth.
"I've known Ralph and his family my entire life, and I've been a fan of Ralph's ever since he decided to get involved in politics," said Bob Bloxom.
Having someone from the Eastern Shore in the executive mansionis notable, he said.
"Not lost on us is the enormity of having a governor from the Eastern Shore for only the second time in over a hundred years — so we wanted to be there to support him and also to celebrate the fact that we've got an Eastern Shore governor again," he said.
Bloxom tacitly acknowledged the elephant in the room — the fact that a fairnumber of Eastern Shore residents did not vote for the hometown candidate.
Northam won in Northampton County 57 percent to 42 percent for Gillespie.
Still, Republican Ed Gillespie took Accomack Countywith 54 percent of the vote to 46 percent for Northam.
At Nandua precinct in Accomack County, which includes voters from Northam's hometown of Onanco*ck, the tally was 729 votes for Northam to 714 for Gillespie.
Now that the election is over, Bloxomhopes some of those who did not vote for Northam may come around.
"I come from the old school;maybe it's a little Pollyanna-ish in today's climate, but I subscribe to the theory that all politics is local — and frankly, it doesn't matter to me what party Ralph represents — his being the governor of Virginia is going to be good for the Eastern Shore in the long term.
"He's got a very good head on his shoulders. I think he's a very good public servant and I think he is going to make an excellent governor for the state. And I hope that the people on the Shore who maybe didn't embrace him during the election will appreciate the fact that he is now the governor — and all the benefits that can accrue to us because of it."
Bloxom concluded,"We're looking forward to seeing a local boy do good, as they say."
On Twitter @cvvaughnESN
443-260-3314
