[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
[January 15, 1998]
[Pages 56-60]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom
January 15, 1998

    The President. Thank you very much. I want to begin with a warm 
welcome to all of our guests here, our honorees and their family 
members, members of the administration, Members of Congress, other 
distinguished officials.
    It is fitting that today this ceremony occurs on the birthday of Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr., who 21 years ago was granted this award by 
President Carter posthumously, to ensure that his legacy would live on. 
Until every child has the opportunity to live up to his or her God-given 
potential, free from want in a world at peace, Dr. King's work and our 
work is not yet done. He once said that ``No social advance rolls on the 
wheels of inevitability.'' After 5 years in Washington, I know that is 
true. [Laughter] Humanity makes progress through decades of sweat and 
toil by dedicated individuals who give freely of themselves and who 
inspire others to do the same, the kind of heroic men and women we honor 
today.
    All of our honorees has helped America to widen the circle of 
democracy by fighting for human rights, by righting social wrongs, by 
empowering others to achieve, by preserving our precious environment, by 
extending peace around the world. Every person here has done so by 
rising in remarkable ways to America's highest calling, the calling, as 
the First Lady said, of active citizenship.
    On behalf of a grateful Nation, I would like to bestow the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom on these courageous citizens. Let me say, 
as I begin, that I am grateful to all of them who are here and those who 
are not.
    First, Arnie Aronson, who unfortunately 
is ill and is represented here by his wife, Annette, his son, Bernie, his 
granddaughter, Felicia. Arnie Aronson, a 
glowing symbol of the coalition of conscience linking black and white 
communities, began his career in civil rights in 1941 when he and A. 
Philip Randolph secured a landmark Executive order banning 
discrimination on the basis of race. He later cofounded the Leadership 
Conference on Civil Rights, helping hundreds of disparate groups keep 
their eyes on the prize and speak with one booming voice. As the 
legendary leader Clarence Mitchell, Jr., said of him, ``There would not 
have been a civil rights movement without the Leadership Conference, and 
there would not have been a Leadership Conference without Arnie 
Aronson.''
    Commander Huey, please read the citation.

[At this point, Lt. Comdr. Wesley Huey, USN, Naval Aide to the 
President, read the citation, and the President congratulated Mr. 
Aronson's family and presented the medal.]

    The President. I never contradict my wife in public, but I couldn't 
help thinking when she said we were honoring 15 ordinary American 
citizens today, I thought, yes, people like Brooke Astor and David 
Rockefeller. [Laughter] But I say that to make this point: In some ways, 
we honor them more, because they certainly had other options. [Laughter] 
And that is important to remember.
    At the age of 15, about eight decades ago, Brooke Astor wrote a wise poem. In that poem, an elderly 
man implores a young girl, ``Take thy spade and take thine ax. Make the 
flowers bloom.'' With her legendary largesse and unequaled grace, she 
has made more flowers bloom than anyone, not only at such recognizable 
landmarks as the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Museum of 
Art but also in forgotten homeless shelters, youth centers, and nursing 
homes. She is not only New York's unofficial First Lady, she has become 
America's guardian angel.
    Commander, read the citation.

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[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Ms. Astor and presented the medal.]

    The President. In 1961, a young Air Force psychiatrist in New 
Orleans saw a 6-year-old black girl being heckled by an angry crowd. The 
girl--Ruby Bridges was her name--did not yell back but instead knelt 
down to pray. The doctor, Robert Coles, was 
greatly moved. From that moment on, he dedicated his life to healing 
racial wounds, aiding children in crisis, and inspiring Americans to 
answer the call of citizen service. As a Harvard professor and a 
prolific documentarian of the American spirit, he has been the beacon of 
social consciousness for more than two generations of Americans, from 
Robert Kennedy to the freshmen in college today. There is hardly a 
person I know who has ever read his books who has not been profoundly 
changed. Hillary and I are personally grateful to him just for those 
books, but his life has elevated the morality and the spirituality of 
the United States.
    Commander, read the citation.

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Dr. Coles and presented the medal.]

    The President. Justin Dart literally 
opened the doors of opportunities to millions of our citizens by 
securing passage of one of the Nation's landmark civil rights laws, the 
Americans with Disabilities Act. Throughout his career, he has worn many 
hats, and he's wearing one of them today. [Laughter] At the University 
of Houston, he led bold efforts to promote integration. He went on to 
become, in his own words, ``a full-time soldier in the trenches of 
justice,'' turning every State in the Nation to elevate disability 
rights to the mainstream of political discourse. He once said, ``Life is 
not a game that requires losers.'' He has given millions a chance to 
win. He has also been my guide in understanding the needs of disabled 
Americans. And every time I see him, he reminds me of the power of heart 
and will. I don't know that I've ever known a braver person.
    Commander, read the citation.

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Mr. Dart and presented the medal.]

    The President. In the spring of 1942, a man fresh out of theology 
school sat down at the counter of Chicago's Jack Spratt Coffee Shop and 
ordered a doughnut. Because he was black, he was refused. Because his 
name was James Farmer, he did not give in. He 
and the other founders of the Congress of Racial Equality organized the 
Nation's first sit-in and launched an era of nonviolent protests for 
civil rights. He went on to help bring down Jim Crow by leading freedom 
rides, voter drives, and marches, enduring repeated beatings and 
jailings along the way. He has never sought the limelight and, until 
today, I frankly think he's never gotten the credit he deserves for the 
contribution he has made to the freedom of African-Americans and other 
minorities and their equal opportunities in America. But today he can't 
avoid the limelight, and his long-overdue recognition has come to pass.
    Read the citation, Commander.

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Mr. Farmer and presented the medal.]

    The President. In 1976 the Girl Scouts of America, one of our 
country's greatest institutions, was near collapse. Frances 
Hesselbein, a former volunteer from 
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, led them back, both in numbers and in spirit. 
She achieved not only the greatest diversity in the group's long history 
but also its greatest cohesion and, in so doing, made a model for us 
all. In her current role as the president of the Drucker Foundation for 
Nonprofit Management, she has shared her remarkable recipe for inclusion 
and excellence with countless organizations whose bottom line is 
measured not in dollars but in changed lives. Since Mrs. Hesselbein 
forbids the use of hierarchical words like ``up'' and ``down'' when 
she's around--[laughter]--I will call this pioneer for women, 
voluntarism, diversity, and opportunity not up but forward to be 
recognized.
    Commander, read the citation.

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Mrs. Hesselbein and presented the medal.]

    The President. In 1942 an ordinary American took an extraordinary 
stand. Fred Korematsu boldly opposed the 
forced internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. After being 
convicted for failing to report for relocation, Mr. Korematsu took his 
case all the way to the Supreme Court. The high court ruled

[[Page 58]]

against him. But 39 years later, he had his conviction overturned in 
Federal court, empowering tens of thousands of Japanese-Americans and 
giving him what he said he wanted most of all, the chance to feel like 
an American once again. In the long history of our country's constant 
search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions 
of souls: Plessy, Brown, Parks. To that distinguished list, today we add 
the name of Fred Korematsu.
    Commander, read the citation.

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Mr. Korematsu and presented the medal.]

    The President. As our mutual friend Mack McLarty once said, 
``Receiving advice from Sol Linowitz on 
international diplomacy is like getting trumpet lessons from the Angel 
Gabriel.'' [Laughter] Sol Linowitz has answered his call--his Nation's 
call many, many times. Over his distinguished career, he has always been 
willing to extend the hand of peace, freedom, and prosperity to our 
neighbors all over the world. With his admired style of quiet and 
conciliatory diplomacy, he has helped President Carter negotiate the 
Panama Canal treaties. He made great strides in the peace process in the 
Middle East. He worked to provide aid to starving Cambodians. He has 
been our administration's guiding spirit for expanding cooperation 
throughout our hemisphere. If every world leader had half the vision Sol 
Linowitz does, we'd have about a tenth as many problems as we've got in 
this whole world today. He's also led here at home, working to address 
problems of racism and poverty, always giving generously of his time no 
matter how busy he is. Sol Linowitz is an American patriot of the 
highest order.
    Commander, read the citation.

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Mr. Linowitz and presented the medal.]

    The President. When Wilma Mankiller was 
10, she and her family were relocated from Cherokee lands in Oklahoma to 
San Francisco. But it was in San Francisco during the civil rights era 
that she found her voice and a belief in the power to make change. 
Later, Wilma Mankiller returned to Oklahoma and became chief of the 
Cherokee Nation. During her two terms in office--and I might add, she 
won reelection by 82 percent--[laughter]--she was not only the guardian 
of the centuries-old Cherokee heritage but a revered leader who built a 
brighter and healthier future for her nation. When she stepped down as 
chief, the Cherokee Nation wept. We know today's honor will bring tears 
of joy to many in both our Nations.
    Commander, read the citation.

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Ms. Mankiller and presented the medal.]

    The President. For Mardy Murie, 
wilderness is personal. She and her husband, Olaus, spent their 
honeymoon--listen to this--on a 550-mile dogsled expedition--
[laughter]--through the Brooks Mountain Range of Alaska--fitting for a 
couple whose love for each other was matched only by their love of 
nature. And they certainly must have known each other better after the 
trip was over. [Laughter] After her husband died, Mrs. Murie built on 
their five decades of work together. She became the prime mover in the 
creation of one of America's great national treasures, the Arctic 
National Wildlife Refuge, and blazed trails for generations of 
conservationists. Today, amidst the fir and spruce of the high Tetons, 
she shares her wisdom with everyone who passes by, from ordinary hikers 
to the President and the First Lady, inspiring us all to conserve our 
pristine lands and preserve her glorious legacy.
    Commander, read the citation.

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Mrs. Murie and presented the medal.]

    The President. In 1970 Mario Obledo 
received a complaint that a public swimming pool in Texas was barring 
Mexican-Americans at the gate. He decided to travel 200 miles to take a 
swim. [Laughter] He was turned away and he filed suit. When Mr. Obledo 
won, even the joy in the courthouse could not match that of Mexican-
American children whose civil rights had been defended as, finally, they 
had a chance to jump into that public pool. As cofounder of the Mexican 
American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the National Hispanic Bar 
Association, as chairman of the Rainbow Coalition, Mario Obledo has 
expanded opportunity for Americans of every race and ethnic background. 
Through the force of law and the power of the vote, he has enhanced the 
character and condition of America.

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    Commander, read the citation.

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Mr. Obledo and presented the medal.]

    The President. After he was decorated on the beaches of Normandy and 
had begun to serve as a law clerk for Justice Felix Frankfurter, Elliot 
Richardson had a strange request for his 
distinguished boss. The brilliant young renaissance man asked if he 
could have an uninterrupted hour every morning to read poetry. Alas, he 
was refused. [Laughter] That effort failed, but little else has failed 
in Elliot Richardson's versatile, indefatigable career. He gave 
courageous and deeply moral service to our Nation as Secretary of 
Health, Education, and Welfare; Secretary of Defense; Ambassador to the 
United Kingdom; Secretary of Commerce--where he actually painted his own 
official portrait--[laughter]--and of course, as Attorney General, where 
on one difficult Saturday night, he saved the Nation from a 
constitutional crisis with his courage and moral clarity. No public 
servant is more beloved by those who have served him. No public servant 
has shown greater respect for the Constitution he has served. And it is 
my great honor to award him the Medal of Freedom today.
    Commander, please read the citation.

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Mr. Richardson and presented the medal.]

    The President. Rockefeller is a name that resonates throughout 
American history. It means not only private success and wealth but also 
an abiding sense of public responsibility. David 
Rockefeller is the standard-bearer of this 
family and this tradition for making unprecedented commitments to 
biomedical research, to sending tens of thousands of retired 
executives--all volunteers--to developing nations in need of advice and 
skills. In every region of the world, heads of state seek his counsel. 
But whether he is addressing the King of Spain or a fellow beetle 
collector he meets by chance, he treats everyone with exactly the same 
impeccable courtesy and respect, as I learned when I met him a good 
while before anyone but my mother thought I could become President. 
[Laughter] David Rockefeller is a gentleman, a statesman, a scholar, and 
most important, a genuine humanitarian of the likes our Nation has 
rarely seen.
    Commander, read the citation.

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Mr. Rockefeller and presented the medal.]

    The President. You know, I hate to break the gravity of the moment, 
but I have now something else to thank you for. David, I've been 
wondering how we can get this ceremony out into the popular 
consciousness. And with the mention in the citation of the Trilateral 
Commission, I know we're going to be on talk radio all over America 
today, so thank you very much. [Laughter]
    Albert Shanker illuminated our Nation's 
path toward educating our children with devastating honesty, sharp wit, 
and profound wisdom. He was one of the most important teachers of the 
20th century. In 1983, when the ``Nation At Risk'' report challenged us 
to do far more to raise educational standards for all our children, Al 
Shanker was one of the very first to answer the call. That began for me, 
a young Governor who cared a lot about education, one of the most 
remarkable working relationships of my entire life. For Al Shanker was 
for me and so many others a model, a mentor, a friend, a leader of 
immense stature who always spoke his mind, no matter how unpopular the 
thought. We miss him dearly, but we are comforted to know that many 
others carry on his mission and that his wife, Edie, is here with us today to accept this award, which he so 
richly deserves, in his honor.
    Commander, read the citation.

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Mrs. Shanker and presented the medal.]

    The President. These days, Elmo ``Bud'' Zumwalt introduces himself as ``a former sailor.'' That's sort of 
like calling Henry Ford a former car salesman. [Laughter] In 1970 Bud 
Zumwalt became the youngest man in our country's history to rise to the 
rank of Commander of Naval Operations, the Navy's top post. There, he 
earned billing as the Navy's most popular leader since World War II for 
his bold efforts to modernize Navy life. He is a genuine patriot with an 
astonishing life story that includes a remarkable wife, whom we met a 
year or two ago in Russia--in China, I'm sorry. But more than most 
Americans who have served our country with distinction, Admiral Zumwalt 
paid a deeply

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personal price for his leadership of the Navy during the Vietnam War, 
for his son, a junior officer in the war, died of a cancer linked to his 
exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. The remarkable thing was Admiral 
Zumwalt's response. He dedicated himself to fighting for those with war-
related ailments. He established the first national marrow donor program 
to help cancer patients in need. He never stopped fighting for the 
interests, the rights, and the dignity of those soldiers and sailors and 
airmen and marines and their families. Hillary and I have been deeply 
blessed to know Bud Zumwalt and his wife, Mouza, and their family very well. Yes, he is a former sailor. 
He is also one of the greatest models of integrity and leadership and 
genuine humanity our Nation has ever produced.
    Commander, please read the citation.
    Did you think I was going to change my mind? [Laughter]

[Lieutenant Commander Huey read the citation, and the President 
congratulated Admiral Zumwalt and presented the medal.]

    The President. Before we move to the State Dining Room for the 
reception in honor of our awardees, I'd like to close with a brief note 
about the future.
    Hillary and I and the Vice President, indeed, our entire 
administration, are going to be working hard in the coming months to 
help the American people imagine what the 21st century can bring. As of 
today, that new century is just a little more than 700 days away--which, 
as you reflect on the remarkable lives we have celebrated today, is not 
a lot of time.
    But I went back and checked. It's about the same amount of time 
that, from 1961 to 1963, an active citizen named King helped James 
Meredith go to college, stood up to Bull Connor, wrote a letter from a 
jail in Birmingham, helped to organize the March on Washington, and gave 
a little speech--his main line was ``I have a dream.'' Not a bad 700 
days' work.
    We must resolve to use our time just as wisely. As we have learned 
today from the remarkable lives of the people we celebrate, some of whom 
span nearly this entire century, even a long, long life doesn't take 
long to live, and passes in the flash of an eye. They have shown us that 
if we live it well, we can leave this Earth better for our children.
    Thank you, and God bless you.

Note: The President spoke at 10 a.m. in the East Room at the White 
House.