[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 17 (Tuesday, February 11, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H410]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       COMMENDING MILLER WILLIAMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Arkansas [Mr. Hutchinson] is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 2 minutes.
  Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commend a distinguished 
Arkansas writer and teacher, Miller Williams, who recently composed a 
poem for President Clinton's reinauguration ceremony.
  Mr. Williams, a professor of literature at the University of Arkansas 
in Fayetteville is the author of more than 20 outstanding books of 
scholarship and poetry. I can add little to the national chorus of 
praise his colleagues, students, and readers have already offered. His 
peers have recognized his talent with such prestigious awards as the 
American Academy of Arts and Letters' Prix de Rome.
  In composing a poem for President Clinton's inauguration, Mr. 
Williams joined the select company of two other great American poets: 
Fellow Arkansan Maya Angelou and the New England poet Robert Frost.
  In his inaugural poem, ``Of History and Hope,'' Mr. Williams 
celebrates the American tradition of memorializing our past through 
stories and songs. I congratulate him for his own lyrical and 
provocative contributions to our Nation's understanding.
  I also wanted to say that the people of Arkansas are proud of this 
contribution. But I also commend him for his contributions to our 
youth. Mr. Williams has spent nearly 30 years helping students to 
examine themselves and the history they will inherit. As he suggests in 
his poem, we cannot control the future. We can only hope to equip the 
next generations with resources that they will need to make the right 
decisions. For helping us in this endeavor I offer my thanks and 
gratitude to Mr. Williams.

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