    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [September 9, 1996]
    [Pages 1510-1512]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1510]]

    Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom
    September 9, 1996

        The President. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the White House.
    It's a great pleasure for Hillary and for me to welcome all of you here,
    but especially our distinguished honorees and their families; Members of
    Congress who are here, Senator Lugar, Congresswoman Collins, Congressman
    Conyers, Congressman Dellums; Secretary Christopher, Secretary Shalala,
    and Secretary Cisneros.
        We're here to award the highest honor our Nation can bestow on a
    citizen, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. President Harry Truman
    established these awards as a tribute to those who helped to win the
    fight for democracy in World War II. President Kennedy elevated the
    medals to honor contributions by citizens to all aspects of American
    life.
        Although we confer these medals today on worthy individuals, we
    recognize even more than individual achievement. We honor the American
    values that unite us as a people: opportunity and responsibility; a
    community in which all have a part; determination, dedication, and
    loyalty; faith, courage, and country. We are honoring renewed faith in
    the freedom that has brought this Nation this far and the freedom that
    will sustain us into the next century.
        William Faulkner once said that we must be free not because we claim
    freedom but because we practice it. The 11 men and women we honor today
    have raised the practice of freedom to new heights. I would like to
    introduce each of them to you now.
        As the Archbishop of Chicago, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin is one of
    our Nation's most beloved men and one of Catholicism's great leaders.
    When others have pulled people apart, Cardinal Bernardin has sought
    common ground. In a time of transition in his church, his community, his
    Nation, and the world, he has held fast to his mission to bring out the
    best in humanity and to bring people together. Throughout his career, he
    has fought tirelessly against social injustice, poverty, and ignorance.
    Without question, he is both a remarkable man of God and a man of the
    people.
        Fifteen years ago, James Brady was at President Reagan's side when a
    would-be assassin nearly killed them both with a handgun he had
    purchased at a gun shop. But Jim Brady is living proof that courage and
    determination were stronger than the assassin's bullet. Since that day,
    Jim and his wonderful wife, Sarah, who is with us today, have waged a
    moral and political battle to save lives and keep handguns out of the
    hands of criminals. His life is a testament to bravery, and every
    American family and every American child is safer because of it.
        I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Millard Fuller has
    literally revolutionized the concept of philanthropy. Twenty years ago
    he founded Habitat For Humanity to provide decent homes for
    disadvantaged people. To fund his plan he didn't ask people for their
    money; instead, he asked for the sweat of their brows. In return, he
    gave them something no tax deduction ever could, tangible proof that
    they had improved someone else's life with a home.
        Hillary, the Vice President, Tipper, and I, like so many Americans,
    have all swung hammers for Habitat For Humanity, and I was honored to
    sign a law passed earlier this year to provide the first Federal support
    for land and infrastructure for Habitat. It's an interesting testament
    to Millard, to his wife, Linda, to all the wonderful people at Habitat
    that the three people who testified in favor of the law were Millard
    Fuller, Henry Cisneros, and Newt Gingrich. They did a good job at
    bringing America together, and we are all the beneficiaries of Millard
    Fuller's vision.
        Physician, scientist, and educator David Hamburg has devoted his
    life to understanding human behavior, preventing violent conflict, and
    improving the health and well-being of our children. At Stanford he did
    pioneering work in the biology of mental illness and went to Tanzania to
    rescue four biology students who had been kidnaped there. He has worked
    to avoid all kinds of violent conflict, from nuclear war to ethnic
    strife. He has used his presidency of the influential Carnegie
    Corporation to support efforts for better parenting, strong families,
    and stronger childhoods, focusing especially on early childhood and
    adolescence. He is a truly remarkable man and a genuinely effective
    humanitarian.

    [[Page 1511]]

        Ten years ago I had the honor of recognizing John Johnson for his
    contributions as a native of our native State, Arkansas. John rose from
    poverty in Arkansas and Illinois to become one of the world's greatest
    pioneers in media, founding the landmark magazines Ebony and Jet. He
    gave African-Americans a voice and a face, in his words, ``a new sense
    of somebody-ness,'' of who they were and what they could do, at a time
    when they were virtually invisible in mainstream American culture. A
    humble man despite becoming the most influential African-American
    publisher in history, he continues to inspire young African-Americans to
    succeed against the odds and to take advantage of their opportunities.
        Speaking of opportunity, hardly anyone has ever done more personally
    to give people who didn't have it, opportunity, than Eugene Lang. In
    1981 he made a simple promise to pay the college tuition of every
    student from his East Harlem alma mater who graduated from high school
    and wanted to go to college. Since then, his ``I Have A Dream''
    Foundation has opened the doors of college for thousands of young people
    who seize the opportunity he offered. He has helped to make the most of
    their God-given abilities. We are all the beneficiaries of Eugene Lang's
    innovative vision, and it is a great tribute to him that since 1981
    other philanthropists, many State governments, and now, I hope, our
    National Government, have joined him in trying to guarantee the dream of
    a college education to all people. He began it, and we are all in his
    debt.
        Jan Nowak has dedicated his life to the fight for freedom. In World
    War II, he risked everything to carry vital information to the Allies.
    After the Nazis' defeat, he saw his native Poland once again in the grip
    of oppression, and he vowed to break it. For 25 years he was a dominant
    voice in Radio Free Europe, the great beacon of hope that brought so
    many people through the dark hours of communism. He continued to fight
    until the day he saw freedom triumph over tyranny. In America, his
    commitment to the ideal of democracy continues to inspire us all, and I
    can tell you that his inspiration is still felt in his native Poland
    where the people will never forget what he did and what he stood for.
        Paz y respecto, peace and respect: These are the values that define
    the life and work of Antonia Pantoja. Her efforts to create educational
    and economic opportunity for all Puerto Ricans have made her the most
    respected and beloved figure in the Puerto Rican community. Through
    Aspira, the educational program she helped to found 35 years ago, she
    still dares young Puerto Ricans to dream and to work to achieve their
    dreams. Her dedication to her people and, therefore, her contribution to
    our country is unsurpassed.
        When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a
    Montgomery, Alabama, bus 40 years ago, she ignited the single most
    significant social movement in American history. When she sat down on
    the bus, she stood up for the American ideals of equality and justice,
    and demanded that the rest of us do the same. When our descendants look
    back in time to trace the fight for freedom, Rosa Parks will stand among
    our Nation's greatest patriots, the legendary figures whose courage
    sustained us and pushed us forward. She is, and continues to be, a
    national treasure.
        Ginetta Sagan's name is synonymous with the fight for human rights
    around the world. In World War II, she paid dearly for her dedication to
    the cause of freedom. For more than a year, she was imprisoned and
    tortured but not broken. Instead, she devoted her life after the war to
    saving others from the ordeal she had endured. Through her tireless work
    with Amnesty International and her Aurora Foundation, she has drawn the
    world's attention to the plight of prisoners of conscience and of their
    families. Amnesty International has created a fund named in her honor
    designed to help stop torture and especially to stop the persecution of
    women and their children. She represents to all the triumph of the human
    spirit over tyranny.
        Morris Udall represents everything a lawmaker should be: dedicated
    to seeking common ground; committed to improving the political process;
    and singularly possessed, as no one in my adult lifetime has been, of
    the one trait no Member of Congress should be without, an extraordinary
    sense of humor.
        Mo was fond of quoting Will Rogers, who once advised us that in life
    you ought to get a few laughs and do the best you can. Well, he got a
    lot of laughs, and he did better than most. He set a standard few could
    match by his passionate commitment to preserve our national resources
    and to leave our children a safer environment. His life is an
    inspiration and more. His work is a gift to all Americans, and we

    [[Page 1512]]

    are especially grateful that his son could be with us today.
        Now it is my great honor and privilege to present to each of you the
    Presidential Medal of Freedom with great respect for your work, your
    dedication, the example you have set for all your fellow Americans.
        I ask now the military aide to read the citations.

    [At this point, Lt. Col. Michael G. Mudd, USA, Army aide to the
    President, read the citations, and the President presented the medals.]

        The President. Ladies and gentlemen, we're going in for a reception
    now. But I wanted to say one thing. Rosa Parks was delayed in Detroit
    just as many of these people were delayed trying to get here because of
    the traffic. So we will have another time to give her her medal. We're
    sorry she couldn't be here. We're delighted everyone else is here.
    Please come in for the reception.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:16 a.m. in the East Room at the White
    House.