Utah delegate's life touched by Obama

For tomorrow's opening night of the convention, Michelle Obama is the star attraction. Her husband, Barack, played a pivotal role in a Utah woman's life, and now as a delegate she hopes to thank him by voting for his nomination.

Erika George first crossed paths with Obama at the University of Chicago, in of all places, the gym. "There was always, religiously, this tall, dark, thin man on the StairMaster, just going at it, every day, every day, every day," she says.

At the time, this U of U Law professor was thinking about attending law school and couldn't help notice the man on the StairMaster's shirt -- it read, "Real men marry lawyers. Harvard Law."

George tells us she asked him, "'Your wife didn't go to Harvard, did she?' And he said, ‘Oh yeah, she did. You could, too.' And this just struck me, I was speechless. And over time, because I'd continue to see him over time, he'd ask, ‘Well, how's the law school application process going? Are you still thinking about law school? Are you still thinking about Harvard?'"

She felt she almost had to apply, and she got in. It wasn't until years later, when Barack Obama ran for state Senator from Illinois that she realized who he was.

She and the Obamas attended a Harvard Law reunion. Now, her drive to become a delegate hasn't been fueled by political ambitions but a desire to say thank you. "What it did for me is to expand my expectations for myself and what I was able to do. And I think his message in this campaign has been precisely the same one."

That message is something 70,000 people will get to hear in person. Obama has broken with tradition and will hold his acceptance speech outside of the convention hall, in a football stadium.

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