|
UPDATE: Man Wears Cheesehead Hat to Obama Speech
UPDATE: Man who wore his cheesehead hat to see President Obama plans to donate it to the Wisconsin Historical Society, instead of selling it on eBay.
|
|
22 Comments 
UPDATED Friday, November 6, 2009 --- 6:45 p.m.
The Wisconsin man who got his cheesehead hat signed by President Barack Obama has decided to donate it to a museum instead of selling it on eBay.
Mansfield Neblett tells NBC 15 that he decided to donate it and asked for help finding the right place to send it. We told him the Wisconsin Historical Society would be a good place to try first.
Obama signed it during a visit Wednesday to Wright Middle School that Neblett's daughter attends.
_____________________________________
UPDATED Thursday, November 5, 2009 --- 11:59 a.m.
This morning NBC15 spoke with Mansfield Neblett, the man who wore a cheesehead hat to President Obama's speech in Madison.
He tells us he's decided to put the hat, which was signed by the President, up on eBay. He will send some of the proceeds he gets from the hat auction to a clinic in Liberia.
Neblett has emotional ties to the clinic, which was destroyed during a military conflict.
Neblett is an immigrant from Liberia who became an American citizen last October. He voted for President Obama even though he calls himself a Republican.
Neblett has not put the hat up for auction yet. Stay with us for more details on this story.
_____________________________________
Posted Wednesday, November 4, 2009 --- 2:14 p.m.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Liberian immigrant Mansfield Neblett told Secret Service agents if he couldn't wear his cheesehead hat to see President Barack Obama's speech, he wasn't going to come.
He made it to Obama's speech, hat and all.
Neblett says the Secret Service determined the hat, frequently worn by Green Bay Packers fans, wasn't a security risk and let him keep it.
He was easy to spot in the crowd of about 500 waiting for the president to speak in the gymnasium of a Madison middle school.
The 46-year-old Neblett says he was wearing the hat because he owes it to the state.
Neblett immigrated to the United States seven years ago from Liberia. His 14-year-old daughter Jennifer is a seventh grade student at the school where Obama was scheduled to speak about education reforms.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Latest Comments
The story on the 6 o'clock news said he is sending a "portiong" of the proceeds to Africa, if he was so noble, why doesn't he send 100%?
Joseph my comment went up before the "update" that outlined his intent. But I do NOT believe that was his original intent. When he stated to Secret Service he would not attend if he could not wear the hat - it should have ended there with him standing and watching from a distance. Why as a society do we consistently LOWER OUR STANDARDS to give somebody what they want.(form of bullying - give me what I want or else. . .) He could stand outside on the sidewalk sporting his cheesehead proudly and his seat should have gone to somebody who wanted to be there not to draw attention to themselves with a Cheesehead hat, but somebody who wanted to see the President for who he is and be part of Wright Middle Schools achievement. It is just 'basic respect' and sadly our country has allowed the bar for acceptable behavior to drop way too far. I know in our school hats/caps are not allowed inside the doors and if Wright has that policy he should not have been allowed to wear it through the doors.
Did any of you notice the quote from the student (in the paper) that went out and bought a suit for this occasion? There was a photo of another student wearing a shirt and tie. They are just kids, and they knew that maybe wearing a Cheesehead hat was just not appropriate for the event.
 |
Weather
Authority
Watch your local weather 24/7. |
 |
|
 |
News Links
Looking for something you saw on NBC 15? Find it here. |
|
|
 |
Double
Dollar Deals
Experience our area's best restaurants at a Half-Off price. |
|
|
 |
Perfect Home
Find out how to make your perfect home. |
|
|
 |
What's On?
Click here to see our program guide. |
|
|
 |
The Health
Professional
Find answers to your health questions. |
|
|
 |
Madison Living
Advice and services to make the most of life in Madison. |
|
|
 |
Money Minute
Get advice from the experts at SVA Plumb Financial. |
| National News From MSNBC.com |
