[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[April 20, 1992]
[Pages 616-617]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the AmeriFlora '92 Exposition in 
Columbus, Ohio

April 20, 1992
    Well, Bob, thank you very much. Barbara and I are just delighted to 
be here and, of course, delighted to be with our admired and respected 
friend Bob Hope. May I salute our Governor, George Voinovich; the 
Lieutenant Governor, Mike DeWine; Senator Glenn; Mayor Lashutka of 
Columbus; Dorothy and Bob Teater; Dick and Pam Frank; and of course, the 
one you heard from earlier, Mr. John Wolfe and his wife, Ann, John 
having done so much for this city.
    And thank you all for the privilege of attending this marvelous 
AmeriFlora '92, America's celebration of discovery. It's great to be 
back in Columbus, this wonderful city, where my dad was born and grew 
up.
    First, I appreciate the brevity of the Bob Hope introduction. 
[Laughter] Bob was telling me about Columbus' discovery of America; we 
were talking a little history. He was saying that one result of 
Columbus' voyage was the trade that first introduced broccoli to the 
Europeans. They've been our friends ever since, anyway. [Laughter] They 
remain friends, for more than ever we believe in the same ideals like 
liberty, free trade, and democracy. We know ours is one world, an 
interdependent world.
    The American spirit enriches the human spirit, brave, unafraid, and 
above all, free. That spirit, the spirit of discovery, forged America, 
for Christopher Columbus believed the mariner must, in his words, 
``probe the secrets of the world.'' So, the son of a Genoese weaver took 
that first step in a trek that ultimately produced the United States of 
America.
    In saluting his quincentennial, we salute how freedom's ship has 
sailed to every corner of the Earth. We Americans celebrate discovery 
because we're never satisfied, because we are ever romancing the next 
horizon. That is why this beautiful sculpture here in front of us 
reminds us of the sails of the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria, and 
why, too, a full-size replica of

[[Page 617]]

the Santa Maria graces the Scioto River.
    Here in the largest city in the world bearing the explorer's name, 
we honor Columbus for the same reason as people in Peoria or Prague. We 
believe that the individual can make a difference and that human dignity 
can, indeed, change the world. Most of all, we know that dignity stems 
from values like hard work and self-reliance and faith. In 1492, those 
values sustained Columbus' voyage. In 1992, they must sustain our voyage 
to do right and thus achieve good.
    Today, our world is smaller, faster than in Columbus' time, our 
fates at home linked to those abroad. Yet we need to keep these values 
in our hearts and in our minds. Columbus sought a new world. The values 
I refer to can help create a new world order.
    Already, we see the outlines of a new world economy. Over the next 
week I'm going to be talking about this economy and how it can grow in 
the decades ahead. We need, as President Nixon once said, ``an open 
world, open cities, open hearts, open minds.'' Only then can we not 
merely trade with other nations but profit from other nations, profit 
economically, intellectually, culturally, and spiritually.
    In Columbus' day, commerce meant gold and trinkets. In our day, 
commerce means the exchange of goods and ideas that foster free markets, 
free governments, and ultimately, freedom itself. And that is why 
America must always be ready to compete by investing more in research 
and development, investing more in new technology, investing more in 
education. We're Americans. Performance is our name. So, as we concede 
what's changed in the world, let's prove what has not changed: America 
can still outwork and outproduce and outcompete any nation anywhere.
    I thought of our country yesterday as Barbara and I attended our 
little church, little Easter service there in a little tiny church in 
Maine. As I looked around our church, we gave thanks for all that has 
truly blessed America. Now, it is my pleasure to introduce someone who 
has blessed my life, the life of the Bush family. For 2 years she has 
been your honorary patron of this marvelous fair, honorary patron of 
AmeriFlora. She's sure been around the world, continuing Columbus' grand 
tradition. You might remember how Columbus arrived in America and his 
luggage wound up in China. [Laughter] But anyway, for 47 years, she's 
been my wife. Ladies and gentlemen, your honorary chairman, my wife, our 
First Lady, Barbara Bush.

                    Note: The President spoke at 11:05 a.m. In his 
                        remarks, he referred to Dorothy Teater, Franklin 
                        County commissioner, and her husband, Robert; 
                        Richard M. Franks, chairman of the AmeriFlora 
                        '92 management committee, and his wife, Pamela; 
                        and John F. Wolfe, chairman of the board of 
                        trustees of AmeriFlora '92, and his wife, Ann.