The two were part of a crowd of about 250,000 that filled the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 28, 1963. They had both travelled with church groups by bus to attend the march and heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his now famous "I Have a Dream" speech, which has become one of the most notable speeches in history.
In an interview with the Herald in Sept. 2007, Kuehne said "[Going to the march] was the right thing to do. We wanted to tear down the wall of racial injustice and inequality and indifference of others. It was a wake-up call to alot of people. Some did not approve of what we were doing that day. Nevertheless, it was a good thing.
Kuehne described the atmosphere that day as "jovial." Everyone sang "We Shall Overcome" together on the way down, with what he described as "contagious enthusiasm."
That mood carried over into the march. "Most of the folks there were people of color," Kuehne said, "but it was such a harmonious, agreeable atmosphere. They were glad we were there and we were glad they were there."
The day was long - the buses left early that morning - and it was very crowded and hot. With a number of speakers and performances before him, King was the final speaker of the day. "They certainly saved the best for last," said Kuehne."
"The whole experience was mesmerizing," said Hussey. "His speech, 'I have a dream' - he had the whole audience right in the palm of his hand. It was so peaceful, a very peaceful day. It never even entered my thoughts that [one day] there would be a black president. Dr. Martin Luther King opened up the way for this to come about."
"It was monumental, historical," Kuehne said. "Obviously it was an awesome event. His speech is never to be forgotten. It was done so well, in both content and delivery."
Looking back on that day and reflecting on the upcoming inauguration of the nation's first African-American president, Kuehne commented that "it is very likely that Barack Obama would not have been nominated and elected to become president of our great U.S.A. but for the prophetic ministry and martyrdom of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Dr. King was really a great gift to our country," he added. "His kind of leadership is lacking in today's world."
