[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 22 (Friday, February 3, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2081-S2084]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        WILLIAM J. BAROODY, JR.

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, for a quarter century I have been 
involved with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. I 
was a member of its first board of trustees in 1969, and served as vice 
chairman from 1971 to 1976. During the center's existence, five 
remarkable men have served as chairmen of its board: Hubert H. 
Humphrey, 1969-72; William J. Baroody, Sr., 1972-79; Max M. Kampelman, 
1979-82; William J. Baroody, Jr., 1982-94; and now Joseph H. Flom, 
1994-  .
  William J. Baroody, Jr.'s term on the board expired just this week, 
and I would like to join his colleagues at the Wilson Center in 
honoring his remarkable tenure. A dinner was given in Bill's honor 
following the last board meeting in October, when he stepped down from 
its chairmanship, and I ask unanimous consent that the text of the 
[[Page S2082]] evening's richly deserved tribute be printed in the 
Record.
  Remarks at Dinner Honoring William J. Baroody, Jr., October 11, 1994

       Mr. Blitzer. I want to join Joe Flom in welcoming all of 
     you here this evening to this richly deserved tribute to Bill 
     Baroody, a man who served with enormous devotion skill and 
     wisdom as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow 
     Wilson Center for nearly half of the Center's life.
       During the years I have known Bill, and particularly during 
     the six years that I've served under his chairmanship, my 
     respect for him has constantly grown as has my affection. I 
     can say with absolute sincerity that during those years I 
     have never asked Bill for his help without receiving it. 
     Similarly I have never sought his advice without receiving 
     suggestions that contributed substantially and fruitfully to 
     my own ideas and those of my colleagues. In many ways I would 
     say that Bill has been a model of what a chairman should be. 
     He shared with us the knowledge and the wisdom gained in the 
     legislative and executive branches of government, including 
     in the White House, and as the head of a kindred but not 
     quite identical institution, and in all of this he has 
     somehow managed to guide without being intrusive.
       His chairmanship of the board, a board composed of 
     distinguished and often strong-minded people appointed by 
     three presidents of two parties, and his leadership of the 
     Center under two directors, have been characterized by an 
     extraordinary combination of effectiveness, tact, 
     evenhandedness and self-effacement. Indeed if it is possible 
     to be modest to a fault that perhaps is Bill's singular 
     fault. With his clear sense of the delicate balance between 
     the legal responsibility of a board and the authority of a 
     director, he served the Center well and made the experience 
     for me at least, and I suspect for my predecessor, of serving 
     under him a genuine pleasure. It is for that accomplishment, 
     and for his stewardship of this institution that his fellow 
     trustees, the Center's staff, his friends, his family and I 
     join in honoring him this evening with deep respect and 
     affection.
       Ted Barreaux. I have been given the assignment of reading 
     one of the letters that Bill Baroody has received from the 
     former Presidents who have appointed him to various posts. 
     But before that I wanted to tell you all what a pleasure it 
     is for me to be here tonight because I've known Bill for many 
     years. The two of us met almost thirty years ago, and we were 
     both at various points in our lives aides of President Nixon. 
     Now I don't know if Bill's memory fades in and out as 
     occasionally most Nixon aides' memories do, but my experience 
     when I first met Bill was illustrative of what became a very 
     warm and valued friendship.
       I met Bill as I said nearly thirty years ago in the spring 
     of 1967, when I was in Washington to have lunch on a Saturday 
     morning with a friend of mine, Congressman Glenn Lipscomb 
     from California. He was a close ally and colleague of 
     Congressman Mel Laird, for whom Bill worked.
       I didn't have a change to work with Bill while he was at 
     the Defense Department or in Congress, but I worked very 
     closely with him when he was the public liaison for President 
     Ford. I had the pleasure not only of working with Bill when 
     he was a White House aide but also when I spent twelve years 
     on the Board of Trustees of the Wilson Center. I served under 
     Bill's father, I served under Max Kampelman, and I served 
     under Bill.
       The one thing about Bill that impressed me as well as all 
     of the other trustees and the Fellows is Bill's commitment to 
     public service. He provided two characteristics that I think 
     really mean public service to me, and he carried them out 
     with firmness and commitment and dedication and with an elan 
     and an ease that made it appear even more beautiful than it
      ordinarily is. The first of these is satisfaction. He 
     demonstrated clearly the satisfaction one derives from the 
     formulation of public policy. There are dozens of key 
     policy issues where he played a central role and he did it 
     always with grace and intelligence and style.
       And the second is sacrifice. I was always impressed by the 
     fact that he never capitalized in a personal way on his 
     public service, which is terribly impressive when you 
     consider that although there is nothing wrong with that, he 
     chose a different road.
       President Ford, whose letter I've been asked to read 
     tonight, shares many of my sentiments, and I'll share his 
     letter with you now.
       ``Dear Bill, I write with congratulations and best wishes 
     on the occasion of your retirement as Chairman of the Woodrow 
     Wilson Center Board of Trustees. It is indeed an enjoyable 
     task to acknowledge your generosity and commitment to that 
     fine institution.
       ``I also remember with great pleasure your time as a member 
     of our White House team and I am so pleased that you and many 
     of your colleagues have continued a tradition of outstanding 
     public service. Thanks to your dedicated leadership, the 
     Wilson Center is now known throughout the world as a place of 
     both scholarly excellence and practical relevance.
       ``I am delighted to have this opportunity to express my 
     appreciation of your devotion to the Center and its scholarly 
     ideals.
       ``I am delighted to have this opportunity to express my 
     appreciation of your devotion to the Center and its scholarly 
     ideals.
       ``Thank you for your many kindnesses and loyal support.
           Warmest, best regards,
                                                 Gerald R. Ford.''
       I would now like to toast Bill Baroody who is not only a 
     friend, a colleague and a boss, all three things you get to 
     be when you're Chairman of the Board of the Center, but he's 
     also a very special human being.
       Gertrude Himmelfarb. I cannot I'm afraid compete with Ted 
     who has known Bill for thirty years. I can only claim to have 
     known him for less than twenty years. I was then a Fellow of 
     the Woodrow Wilson Center and Bill Baroody, Sr. was then 
     Chairman of the Board. The Baroodys were my introduction to 
     Washington and I assure you it was a very enjoyable, a very 
     interesting, a very exciting experience.
       I then met Bill some ten years later when I was a member of 
     the board and Bill, Jr. was its Chairman. I came to admire 
     Bill as all of us did, and not only for his extraordinary 
     devotion to the Woodrow Wilson Center, his mastery of all the 
     details of the operation of the Center, his assiduous 
     attendance at meetings, board meetings, fellowship and other 
     committee meetings even in periods of ill health and an 
     evident discomfort, but also because of his very good 
     judgment and his wisdom in helping to keep the Center on a 
     steady course at a rather perilous time for institutions such 
     as this, for cultural and academic institutions which were 
     being buffeted about as they still are by all the vagaries of 
     intellectual fads and fashions and by political and social 
     pressures. As I say it was a very heartening experience to 
     serve under a chairman who was able to perform that not 
     inconsiderable feat.
       I'd like now to take the occasion to pay tribute not only 
     to Bill but also to Charles Blitzer and to the staff of the 
     Woodrow Wilson Center, all of whom manage to work so 
     harmoniously together and all of whom manage to resist those 
     fashions and those pressures, who manage to preserve the 
     integrity of the Center and to maintain the very high 
     standards of scholarship and research that the Center is in 
     fact now known for, always has been known for.
       Bill, Sr. would be very proud of you Bill, and I think he 
     would like to join us in this toast to you. But first I would 
     like to read a letter from someone who can express his 
     appreciation of Bill more eloquently than I can.
       ``Dear Bill, I am delighted to join your friends, family, 
     and colleagues in congratulating you on the occasion of your 
     retirement from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for 
     Scholars.
       ``I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but I've 
     found that there is no such thing as retirement! I had a 
     fleeting notion way back: to find a shady spot under a tree 
     and a good sturdy hammock. It was a grand plan, but it never 
     materialized. I hope you have better luck with it than I did!
       ``Seriously, you have every reason to be proud of your 
     twelve years of honorable commitment to the Center and to 
     nationwide scholarship. You have proudly carried on your 
     family tradition as an able and dignified leader, and it is 
     that noble legacy which will continue to flourish thanks to 
     your constant nurturing and tireless commitment. You have my 
     deepest gratitude and admiration for the wisdom and integrity 
     you have consistently shown in your devotion to the Center.
       ``I wish you all the happiness and success you deserve as 
     you begin this exciting new chapter in your life. God bless 
     you for your dedication and unwavering faith in this great 
     nation.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Ronald Reagan.''
       I think President Reagan would like to join us in this 
     toast to Bill.
       Lynne Cheney. I want to bring you greetings, Bill, not only 
     from myself and from the signator of the letter I'm about to 
     read, but from Dick Cheney who is sorry he can't be with us 
     tonight. Dick and I first knew Bill more than twenty years 
     ago back in the Nixon and Ford years, and you were out there 
     on the front line for public liaison putting Gerry Ford in 
     exactly the setting in which he performed most brilliantly, 
     dealing with citizens in forums across the country, answering 
     questions, and Dick as White House Chief of Staff, was 
     exceedingly grateful for your imaginative use of the 
     President's time and for presenting him as the really great 
     leader he was. I'm so glad that I was here tonight to hear 
     Gerry Ford's letter to you.
       Dick and I are now at the American Enterprise Institute, 
     another organization in which you had such an important role 
     to play, so our lives have been intertwined for quite a long 
     time. I will remember with gratitude and warmth the 
     opportunity that I had to serve with you as a member of the 
     Woodrow Wilson Center's Board of Trustees. We had some 
     challenging meetings, some interesting issues with which to 
     deal, and I do love now seeing them all begin to come to 
     fruition knowing that this Center will soon be housed in a 
     way that it should be in order to honor the memory of Woodrow 
     Wilson to whom this Center was established.
       So many people are grateful to you for your service, Dick 
     and I chief among them; and I'm especially proud tonight to 
     have the honor to read to you a letter from yet another 
     former President, What friends you have, Bill.
       [[Page S2083]] ``Dear Bill, word has reached me of your 
     retirement as Chairman of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Board 
     of Trustees, and I am delighted to join your family and 
     colleagues in congratulating you for a job well done.
       ``Your distinguished tenure as chairman is one marked by 
     significant accomplishment, and you can be proud in the 
     knowledge that your many contributions helped to enhance 
     America's leadership in a turbulent and sometimes dangerous 
     world. As one of several Presidents to benefit from your 
     dedicated career in service to our Nation, I am pleased to 
     have this opportunity to thank you for your loyal support, 
     counsel, and friendship through the years.
      ``You will be missed, but I have a feeling this won't be the 
     last we hear from you. In the meantime, Barbara joins me 
     in sending best wishes for your very happiness.
           Sincerely,
                                                    George Bush.''
       I would like all of you to join me in a toast to Bill 
     Baroody for whom all of us here, like all of the Presidents 
     who have so far been named, have the greatest respect, 
     admiration and to whom we'd like to extend our thanks.
       James Billington. I would like to speak to you from my 
     heart about Bill Baroody because we honor tonight someone who 
     is part of a unique contribution to the life of this city and 
     to the country.
       We have a kind of apostolic succession here. It began with 
     Hubert Humphrey who was the first chairman, then Bill 
     Baroody, Sr. succeeded him, then Max Kampelman (who had been 
     so close to Hubert Humphrey) succeeded Bill, and then Bill, 
     Jr. succeeded Max, and now of course we have a new chairman. 
     I second Bea Himmelfarb's warm words of praise for Charles 
     Blitzer and the staff. It is wonderful to see the sustaining 
     over the years of the real commitment to quality, one of the 
     things that the Baroodys have always been committed to and 
     that Bill has helped this very talented staff sustain so 
     well.
       I liked Ted Barreaux' emphasis on public service, because 
     it seems to me Bill has had an extraordinary career which has 
     never been fully documented. There was service in Congress, 
     with Mel Laird. There was service in the Pentagon, and a 
     variety of different functions in the White House.
       I would say there are four things that characterize Bill's 
     public service. The first of these is an extremely self-
     effacing kind of leadership. When the spotlight is on, Bill 
     always runs the other way. He reminds me very much of people 
     like Paul McCracken and Bryce Harlow, names that you don't 
     read very often in the history books, who had this soft 
     spoken, quiet kind of integrity when integrity wasn't always 
     the first currency of the day. Bill is very much a part of 
     that world and part of that type of public servant who never 
     gets enough attention, never gets enough praise.
       The second is the commitment to dialogue. At the Ford White 
     House, Bill bridged a gap that was very real in those days 
     between government and the broader private sector and 
     established a very important kind of dialogue. It continued 
     during his days at AEI, and he certainly has sustained the 
     Center's tradition for dialogue, one of its great 
     contributions to this city.
       And the third thing closely related to it is quality--the 
     defense of the pure quality of scholarship in a city very 
     closely concerned with advocacy. To maintain the purest 
     standards of high quality in the midst of the political 
     pressures and vortex of this city has been a wonderful 
     achievement, and I must say we owe that to our whole 
     apostolic succession of chairmen.
       And the fourth thing that Bill has provided is something 
     that's not always found even where there's dialogue and where 
     there's quality, and that is genuine depth. One of Bill 
     Baroody, Sr.'s great contributions to the intellectual 
     dialogue of this city was introducing deeper themes such as 
     the role of religion in public life. Bill Baroody, Jr. has 
     continued that role.
       This is a man who not only has quietly in a self-effacing 
     way sustained dialogue and sustained quality in this 
     wonderful institution that we celebrate and honor today, but 
     who
      behind it all has a passion and understanding for the deeper 
     things of life that are somehow inextricably connected to 
     our broader public and individual lives.
       I'd like to propose a toast to Bill Baroody and to the 
     past--I am reminded of a wonderful evening Max Kampelman 
     hosted like this for Bill's father here about fifteen years 
     ago. Please join me in a toast to Bill and to the past, 
     present and future of a wonderful family.
       Max Kampelman. There is an old Yiddish superstition that if 
     a mother wishes her newborn child to be a great thinker or a 
     great philosopher she kisses the child on the head. If she 
     wishes her child to be a great pianist or musician she kisses 
     the child on the fingers. If she wishes her child to be a 
     singer she kisses the child on the neck close to the vocal 
     chords. I don't know where our mothers kissed Bill Baroody, 
     Joe Flom and me when we were born, but I do know that all 
     three of us have been blessed with the opportunity to serve 
     as chairpersons of the Woodrow Wilson International Center 
     for Scholars. Speaking for myself it has been one of the most 
     satisfying public experiences of a full and busy life.
       My first exposure to the Wilson Center came through my 
     friend Hubert Humphrey who became the first Chairman of the 
     Board. I vividly recall the excitement with which he joined 
     the effort to create a living memorial of scholarship through 
     which to perpetuate the memory of Woodrow Wilson in our 
     nation's capital. I recall the deep sense of honor that he 
     felt in being appointed by President Johnson to serve as this 
     Center's first chairman. My long-time friend William Baroody, 
     Bill's distinguished father, succeeded Hubert as its 
     chairman. Bill, you and I know that your dad was a great man; 
     a giant of a man, and I am convinced that you have filled his 
     shoes with distinction.
       Tonight we meet to acknowledge your selfless and devoted 
     service to our Center as its fourth chairman. Your wisdom and 
     integrity have added luster to our Center and strength to our 
     staff. The comments we have heard this evening all add 
     credence to that sentiment. You presided over our Center at a 
     critical period of our nation's transition away from the Cold 
     War with its clear challenges and objectives into a new set 
     of problems and opportunities and you did so with dignity and 
     determination.
       In partnership with our most distinguished director Charles 
     Blitzer you have further fashioned and strengthened our 
     Center into one of the most distinguished and respected 
     institutions of learning in the world.
       To Joe Flom, our experienced and wise new chairman, I say 
     let us rededicate ourselves to our mandate from Congress to 
     harmonize and strengthen the relationship between the world 
     of learning and the world of public affairs. It is with that 
     aspiration that I appropriately ask all of you tonight to 
     join me in a toast to our friend, Bill Baroody.
       Joe Flom. As the new chairman of the Woodrow Wilson Center 
     for International Scholars I have been given the pleasurable 
     duty by the board to read a resolution which was adopted 
     unanimously today with respect to Bill. I would first like to 
     thank Bill for the help he has given me in the transition. 
     His courtesy, his wisdom and his judgment are very much 
     appreciated. He has set a standard which I hope I can match 
     in my role. I would now like to read this resolution, which 
     was unanimously passed today by the Board of Trustees:
       Whereas, William J. Baroody, Jr., in more than thirteen 
     years of distinguished service to the Woodrow Wilson 
     International Center for Scholars, both as a member of its 
     Board of Trustees and as its Chairman, devoted himself 
     unstintingly, wisely, and supportively to the Center's growth 
     and well-being; and
       Whereas, his devotion brought to the Center the bountiful 
     benefits of his extraordinary wisdom, experience, and 
     thoughtfulness, as well as his deep commitment to and 
     participation in the worlds of scholarship and public 
     affairs; and
       Whereas, his unfailing dedication to the Center and his 
     sensitive, fair-minded leadership and often subtle guidance 
     have increased the Center's stature and strengths,
       Therefore, be it resolved that the members of the Board of 
     Trustees--in their own names, in the names of the Center 
     staff, of all the scholars who have studied at the Center, 
     and of all persons, in the United States and throughout the 
     world, for whom the Wilsonian ideals of scholarship and high 
     public purpose remain beacons of hope and humanity--extend to 
     William J. Baroody, Jr., deep gratitude, lasting affection, 
     and the sincere hope that the Center will remain close to his 
     considerate and warm heart, and that he will continue to 
     sustain the Baroody family tradition by participating in its 
     life and exciting future.

                               Joseph H. Flom and Charles Blitzer.

       Mr. Baroody. I do thank you most sincerely for the kind 
     words. I guess it's a little like perfume: It's okay to sniff 
     it as long as you don't swallow it. This has really been a 
     treat for me. I'm very, very proud that three presidents and 
     some fifty-two different board members have tolerated my 
     presence on the board of this incredibly magnificent 
     institution for as long as they have.
       I listened to the tape of a similar event held in honor of 
     my father on June 9, 1980 just a few weeks before he died. I 
     don't cite that tape or that event in invite comparisons, but 
     as Max Kampelman introduced himself in that wonderfully 
     humble way he has, Max insisted he had not replaced my 
     father. He said he had succeeded, but not replaced my father 
     as chairman, for no one could replace him.
       I mention that tape of that event among other very personal 
     reasons because Pat Moynihan, the patron saint of this great 
     Center, reminisced that night about his affiliation with the 
     Center and with my father. Pat said that when he and Charles 
     Blitzer conspired together in 1968 to draft the legislation 
     to create the Center, their vision was to create a center of 
     learning which the 22nd Century would regard as having 
     influenced the 21st.
       I used to talk to dad about his vision for the Center, and 
     in his response he would always mention an exchange he had 
     with Pat Moynihan concerning the report dad commissioned at 
     the beginning of his tenure as chairman in 1969 to help the 
     Center determine what kind of an institution it should 
     become. Pat Moynihan was then Ambassador to India, and dad 
     cabled him to ask for his views on the mission of the Wilson 
     Center. Ambassador Moynihan cabled back one sentence: ``Think 
     no small thoughts.'' Well, I dare say that all four chairmen 
     and three directors so far have demonstrated a commitment to 
     building an institution that can fulfill the dream that 
     emerged from the legislative drafting session in 1968, and 
     the mission statement in 1969. From what I've seen of the 
     [[Page S2084]] Center's fifth chairman, there is no danger of 
     that vision being distorted as we look to the future.
       This fall we conclude the first twenty-five years of the 
     Wilson Center's existence. It has been my privilege to serve 
     as the fourth chairman for almost half of the Center's 
     existence. I have had the good fortune personally of 
     observing and delighting in the increasing prominence and 
     impact of the Center throughout the world. The essence of the 
     Woodrow Wilson Center of course is its Fellows who come here 
     from all over the world to pursue their scholarly studies and 
     participate in the life of the Center. More than 1300 Fellows 
     and guest scholars have been in residence since its creation 
     and the fellowship selection process has become increasingly 
     competitive each year, compelling evidence of the Center's 
     expanding international reputation.
       Over the past quarter century the Wilson Center has 
     retained its unique status in our nation's capital as a high 
     quality international nonpartisan center. The great public 
     value of a scholarly center like the Wilson Center cannot be 
     overstated. Everyone associated with it should not only take 
     pride in its accomplishments but also in the high reputation 
     and standards it maintains, and to that end I would be remiss 
     if I did not single out the two directors of the Wilson 
     Center who have occupied that position during my tenure.
       Jim Billington whose vision and skill were largely 
     responsible for building the Center into a world-class 
     institution and Charles Blitzer who was there at the creation 
     and in its formative years as Dillon Ripley's able agent and 
     in the last several years as we have been consolidating and 
     rethinking our mission in preparation for the second twenty-
     five years of this great institution. The Wilson Center and 
     the country have been well served by the stewardship of these 
     two extraordinarily able leaders and their very able staffs.
       I want to thank each of my fellow board members and friends 
     who spoke tonight. I want to thank all of you for coming and 
     I would like to conclude by raising my glass in a toast to 
     the extraordinary men and women who have served on the staff 
     of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars 
     throughout its first twenty-five years. Its future is assured 
     if it can maintain that caliber for the future.
     

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