As the daughter of Russellville Mayor David Grissom, Kate Grissom has accompanied her father and mother Melissa to official functions most of her young life.
But when the Grissom family spent last week in Washington D.C., attending events associated with President Donald Trump’s inauguration, it was her parents who were on Kate’s guest list, as she received an invitation from Rep. Robert Aderholt to come to Washington ahead of her scheduled trip this March.
In March, Kate and her classmate Lydia Uptain, will meet with members of Congress to present the findings of a research project conducted by her University of North Alabama class, Characterizing Our DNA Exceptions, taught by Dr. Cynthia Stenger.
Their bioinformatics research will help to characterize unknown variants in DNA that may cause genetic disorders by analyzing available biological data online.
When Aderholt learned about Kate’s scheduled visit in March, he reached out to invite her to be his guest during the three-day weekend of Trump’s inauguration. Fortunately for David and Melissa, they were invited to ‘tag along’ with their daughter.
“I was the guest of my daughter. I asked Congressman Aderholt if it was okay for her dad to tag along,” Grissom joked. “We flew out Saturday morning and there wasn’t a minute over the next three days we didn’t have something going or some place to go. We’ve never been to anything like that.”
On Saturday night, the Grissoms attended the Republican National Committee’s Southern States Inaugural Ball, held at the Ronald Reagan Building.
Sunday began with the family attending a prayer brunch hosted by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and the Alabama Delegation at the Hyatt Regency Washington.
The featured devotional at that event was presented by Auburn University men’s basketball assistant coach Chad Prewett and his wife Tonya. Prewett, who overcame substance abuse issues through faith and prayer. The Prewett’s founded ‘Unite Us,’ a ministry bringing the gospel to college campuses with the three objectives of salvation, freedom and community.
Sunday evening saw the family attend the Southern States Gala at the Hamilton.
After Trump’s Monday inauguration, which they did not attend, the Grissoms were Aderholt’s guests at the Liberty Ball, where they had the opportunity to see Trump for the first time. Grissom met several nationally prominent elected officials, including South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Kate expressed her appreciation to Aderholt for the invitation, as well as Russellville chiropractor Dr. Rick Wooten, who also attended inauguration events and helped get the Grissom’s invitation as well.
“I received the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C., during the Presidential inauguration because of my involvement in the STR Advocacy Program as part of UNA’s team and through the generosity of Congressman Aderholt and his wife, and Dr. Rick Wooten,” Kate said. “I look forward to going back to Washington to represent the University of North Alabama in March.”
Tuesday morning the family took part in a tour of the Capitol Building arranged by Aderholt for a delegation of Alabama attendees. They did some sightseeing later that day to put a bow on their trip.
“Congressman Aderholt has been in Washington a long time and he’s got a great relationship with the President. When we look at opportunities for our city, he’s been very helpful in the grant department. He’s done a lot for our city,” Grissom said.
With unprecedented security presence for an inauguration with a president who recently survived an assassination attempt, Grissom said the trip required some patience, but was more than worth it.
“Before the Liberty Ball, everyone waited outside in below freezing temperatures to get through security. But for a once in a lifetime opportunity, it was worth it. We were fortunate and got to go inside eventually. But I’ve never been through so many metal detectors,” Grissom said.
