    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [November 4, 1999]
    [Pages 1980-1981]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Death of Daisy Bates
    November 4, 1999

        Hillary and I were very saddened to hear of Daisy Bates' death this
    morning. She was a dear friend and a heroine. She was known chiefly as a
    leader during the crisis of Central High School in 1957 and a mentor to
    the Little Rock Nine. But she was so much more.
        President Kennedy so admired her for her civil rights work that he
    hired her to work in his administration. During her 84 years, she
    received over 200 awards for her civil rights work, including the
    NAACP's esteemed Spingarn Award. In 1957, the Associated Press named her
    one of the top nine news personalities in the world.
        We were blessed to have Daisy as a citizen of Arkansas, where she
    and her husband, L.C., published the award-winning Arkansas State Press
    newspaper. For over 30 years, it was the only African-American newspaper
    in the State. Her death will leave a vacuum in the civil rights

    [[Page 1981]]

    community, the State of Arkansas, and our country. Her legacy will live
    on through the work she did, the friends she made, and the people she
    touched.