Time After Time: The Somewhere Under Heaven Series

Inauguration: Part II

NJ PBS coverage

Melissa Rose Cooper: We are continuing our coverage of the inauguration of New Jersey governor, Casey Pattinson and Lt. Governor Kofi Jones. Just a short time ago, we saw the governor elect joined by her son Michael, nephew Jalen Kelly, and her husband, actor Robert Pattinson entering the War Memorial along with numerous dignitaries and members of the family.

Cut to interior shot of the War Memorial

Melissa (VO): We are now watching as the dignitaries are walking in and it looks like we're about to see the past living governors and lieutenant governors of New Jersey making their way in with the exception of Lt. Governor Janice Miller who is undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer they are being led in by outgoing governor Chris Dunn

They are being followed by members of the New Jersey State Legislature with the exception of their newly sworn in Assembly members for the 15th and 16th districts. 15th District assemblyman Adrian Wright is joining Rabbi Levi Weiss and Pattinson family priest Gavin Dawson in the invocation while his fellow assemblyman in the district Jesse Ivans chose to walk in alongside the Pattinson family as his wife is the governor-elect's sister Rory. 

16th District assemblymen Eric Kelly and Trey France also opted to walk in with the family. As we know, Eric Kelly succeeded his sister in the 16th district and we got news recently that his counterpart, Trey France is about to become a part of the family as he just got engaged to First Son, Dion Pattinson. 

Kofi and Zola enter

Announcer: Please welcome incoming Lt. Governor, Dr. Kofi Jones and Second Lady, Dr. Zola Dolo-Jones.

Melissa (VO): We are now seeing Kofi Jones and his wife, Zola Dolo-Jones making their way in, escorted by members of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The two who are walking in with them are from Delran and we are told that they have personal connections to both Kofi Jones and Casey Pattinson as the Girl Scout is the goddaughter of the Governor-Elect while the Boy Scout joining them is Kofi Jones' nephew.

 As we have seen the Girl Scouts as well as Boy Scouts have been a part of today's events serving as an honor guard of sorts. Their flags were led into the War Memorial alongside the US flag and the flag of New Jersey. The reasoning for this has a lot to do with both the Governor and Lt. Governor elect. Kofi Jones was a member of the Scouts when his family lived in England and joined Boy Scouts when they moved to the United States. His wife Zola was involved with Girl Scouts and is a Gold Award recipient we also found out she's got something in common with the governor-elect and her family as she is an active Girl Scout volunteer working with the Central and Southern New Jersey council.

Governor-Elect Pattinson is also a Girl Scout alumna who is a past Gold Award recipient as are her two daughters, Katherine and Gráinne. Her late son, pediatric cancer advocate Ashton Pattinson was a Boy Scout who rose to the ranks of Eagle before his untimely death. Casey Pattinson is also the current national vice-president who will be installed as national president at the end of the month when current national president Liane Choi assumes the role of CEO. 

The Governor-Elect also revealed that the incoming First Gentleman is a long time Girl Scout volunteer having served as a troop leader alongside her. Robert Pattinson is also the chair of the national  Girl Scout advisory board on art and media and revealed in an interview with Anderson Cooper the other night that he has become the only man to serve on a board of directors for a Girl Scout council in New Jersey, joining Dr. Dolo-Jones who was named president of the Central and Southern New Jersey council's board last summer. He joked in the interview, "Last year Casey bought me a T-shirt which said 'I'm man enough to be a Girl Scout' as a joke and it seems I have really showed it by taking on the roles I am with the organization."