[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000-2001, Book III)]
[January 8, 2001]
[Pages 2851-2858]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Citizens Medal
January 8, 2001
Thank you, and good afternoon. I would like to thank all of you for
coming and welcome you to the White House, but especially the Members of
Congress who either are or have been here. Senator Cleland, welcome, sir; Senator Kennedy; Representative Gilman--Mr.
Chairman Gilman; Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton; Representative Sununu. And
Mr. Justice Souter, we're delighted to see
you here today. We thank you for coming.
I won't have many more chances to do this, so I'd also like to thank
the United States Marine Band for being here and for all their work.
Yesterday Hillary and Chelsea and I went to Foundry Methodist Church,
which has been our home church since we've been in Washington, and they
asked me to speak on reflections and anticipations. And I said I had
many anticipations. I anticipated, for example, that my religious
bearing would be severely tested when I returned to commercial air
travel. [Laughter] And I further anticipated that whenever I walked into
a large room for the next 6 months, I would be lost because the Marine
Band wouldn't be there to play a song anymore. [Laughter] So I thank
them so much for all they've done this last 8 years.
One of the greatest honors I have had as President has been the
opportunity to recognize and to honor, on behalf of the American people,
the rich and diverse accomplishments of our fellow citizens. This
ceremony marks the last time I will honor such a remarkable group at the
White House, and I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity.
More than two centuries ago, our Founders staked their lives, their
fortunes, and their sacred honor on a revolutionary proposition, that
people of competing ideas but common ideals could form a more perfect
Union, a democracy built solely on the strength of its citizens. They
felt it essential that America honor both the individual and the idea
that a free people can accomplish their greatest work only by doing so
together, for our common good.
Today we honor citizens whose individual contributions to the common
good embody this ideal in its purest essence. We honor them with the
President's Citizens Medal. Among our Nation's highest civilian honors,
the Citizens Medal is a symbol of our gratitude as a people for those
who have, in particular, performed exemplary deeds of service to others.
Now, let me say a few words about each of those who we honor, and I
will ask my military aide to present me with a medal, and then I will
present the medals.
Every baseball fan knows Hank Aaron
holds more records than any other single ballplayer. Indeed, one of the
truly great experiences of my Presidency was going to Atlanta for the
25th anniversary of the night Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run
record. But his courage and dignity have left a lasting mark on far more
than baseball.
We honor him today not only for the
power of his swing but for the power of his spirit,
[[Page 2852]]
for breaking down barriers not just on the baseball field or in the
front office but also within America's heart. In the spotlight and under
pressure, he always answered bigotry and brutality with poise and
purpose.
In chasing his dream, Hank Aaron gave
others the inspiration to chase their own. And after he left baseball,
he and his wonderful wife, Billye, have done what they could to give
young people more tools to win their own chase. Hank Aaron, you are an
American hero, and we salute you for your life.
[At this point, the President presented the medal.]
Because he could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee,
Muhammad Ali became the first boxer in history
to capture the heavyweight title three separate times. Along the way, he
captured the world's imagination and its heart. Outside the ring,
Muhammad Ali has dedicated his life to working for children, feeding the
hungry, supporting his faith, and standing up for racial equality. He
has always fought for a just and more humane world, breaking down
barriers here in America and around the world.
There are no telling how many tens of millions of people had their
hearts swell with pride and their eyes swell with tears in 1996 when
Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic torch, because we
know, now and forever, he is the greatest.
[The President presented the medal.]
As a civics teacher fresh out of college, Juan Andrade showed up for the first day of class eager to teach his
students the fundamentals of American democracy. Two days later, he was
under arrest. What was his terrible crime? He was teaching his students
in his native tongue, Spanish, which was at the time a violation of
Texas law.
That early injustice helped to spark Juan's
life-long crusade for Hispanic-American civil rights, including the
founding of the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute and nearly
1,000 registration drives that have enfranchised over one million new
voters. Today we honor Juan Andrade for his courage, his commitment to
both democracy and diversity, and for giving so many more Americans a
voice in their own destiny.
[The President presented the medal.]
Ruby Bridges was born in 1954, the year the
Supreme Court decided Brown v. Board of Education. Six years later, when
she entered the first grade, the schools in her hometown of New Orleans
were still separate and unequal. Ruby was
chosen to integrate William Frantz Public School, singlehandedly. So
when mobs gathered and shouted around this 6-year-old girl, she knelt
and prayed. She had two U.S. marshalls ahead of her and two behind, but
``prayer,'' she later said, ``was my protection.''
Today, in lectures and books, Ruby is
telling younger generations her story of strength and faith. And through
the Ruby Bridges Foundation, she is helping schools to establish
diversity programs, to achieve without the struggle and pain what she
did four and a half decades ago.
Today we pay tribute to the courage of a little girl and to the
commitment of a lifetime.
[The President presented the medal.]
One of Ron Brown's favorite Bible passages came from the 40th
chapter of Isaiah, ``Those who wait upon the Lord shall have their
strength renewed; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall
run, and not grow weary; they shall walk, and not faint.''
Well, Ron walked, ran, and soared through life and, I can personally
testify, never grew weary. As the chairman of my party, he inspired
people to believe in our democratic system and to get involved. As
Secretary of Commerce, he opened up new markets at home and abroad, so
that people throughout the world and here in America might, through
work, have better lives for their families.
His legacy still burns brightly, not only in the hearts of those who
knew him but also in the work of his daughter, Tracey, who wrote a wonderful biography of her father; the work of
his son, Michael, who runs the Ron Brown
Foundation; and the living testimony of all the young people who even
now walk through doors he opened and cross bridges he built.
We honor his memory today and, Alma, I am
glad you could be with us to share the moment.
[The President presented the medal to Alma Brown,
Ron Brown's widow.]
For nearly 20 years, Don Cameron has served
as the executive director of the National Education Association. But his
career began long before that, as a Michigan junior high school
[[Page 2853]]
teacher in the early sixties. His starting salary was a handsome $5,100
a year, hardly enough to support a family. So while teaching, he worked
odd jobs, pumping gas, selling hardware, driving a truck, even digging
graves--all for the love of teaching. Let no one say this man was not
deadly serious about his job. [Laughter]
His enthusiasm has never wavered. During his
remarkable tenure, the National Education Association grew by more than
a million members; it nearly doubled in size. He has always fought for
quality schools, smaller classes, making sure that teachers are meeting
high professional standards, and in turn, are treated as the
professionals they are. Our schools are stronger and our children's
future brighter because of his decades of dedicated leadership.
Thank you, Don Cameron.
[The President presented the medal.]
When Pope John the 23d urged Catholics to engage in the world and
address the needs of the poor, Sister Carol Coston, an Adrian Dominican nun, answered the call. She left
the security of her convent to live and work in a public housing
project. Then she helped to create Network, a national Catholic lobby
that has mobilized thousands of nuns and lay people to fight for social
progress in South Africa, for women's rights, and for economic justice.
She helped to win passage of the Community Reinvestment Act, which has
led to billions of dollars in investment in our inner cities--I am proud
to say, Sister, 95 percent of it in the last 8 years.
And she founded Partners for the Common
Good, a fund that invests in housing and entrepreneurship in low income
neighborhoods. For your work as an agent of change, rooted in the values
of your faith, Sister Carol, a grateful nation honors you today.
[The President presented the medal.]
As a young Government lawyer during World War II, Archibald Cox helped to get labor unions and corporations to stop
fighting each other--a work that's still going on today--and to start
working together for an allied victory. That same steely resolve and
sense of high purpose have marked his entire astonishing career.
Fighting for labor rights in the fifties, civil rights in the sixties,
and during Watergate, rising that fateful night to defend our
Constitution, he has come to embody the highest ideals of integrity and
courage in public life.
Archibald Cox, every American, whether he
or she knows your name or not, owes you a profound debt of thanks for a
lifetime of your service to your country and its Constitution.
[The President presented the medal.]
Just as Lewis and Clark set forth to explore a continent shrouded in
mysterious possibility, Charles DeLisi
pioneered the exploration of a modern day frontier, the human genome. As
an administrator and researcher in the Department of Energy in the mid-
1980's, he worked in close partnership with
Senator Pete Domenici, along with others
who supported his efforts to marshal Federal resources and secure
funding for this groundbreaking research.
Charles DeLisi's imagination and
determination helped to ignite the revolution in sequencing that would
ultimately unravel the code of human life itself. Thanks to Charles
DeLisi's vision and leadership, in the year 2000 we announced the
complete sequencing of the human genome. And researchers are now closer
than ever to finding therapies and cures for ailments once thought
untreatable.
At once scientist, entrepreneur, and teacher, Charles DeLisi is also, in the truest sense, a humanitarian, a man
whose life work has been life itself. We honor you today, sir, along
with the Members of the United States Congress, including your friend,
Senator Domenici, who had the vision to
support you when you began, before we could see this great turn in the
road. Thank you.
[The President presented the medal.]
The spread of civil and human rights throughout America and across
the globe has been one of the great dramas and triumphs of the last half
century. Jack Greenberg has been at the
center of the action. As a young lawyer, he
helped Thurgood Marshall argue Brown v. Board of Education before the
Supreme Court. As head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund for 23 years, he,
himself, argued dozens of key racial discrimination cases before the
high court. Through his early involvement with organizations such as
Asia Watch, he aided the expansion of human rights around the world.
Oliver Wendell Holmes once said that to truly live, one must share
the action and passion of one's time. If that remains the standard, Jack
Greenberg has truly lived and, in the
process, has lifted the lives of countless others.
[[Page 2854]]
[The President presented the medal.]
When David Ho was a boy, he used puppets to act
out stories about heroes who used supernatural powers to defend the
weak. Everyone knew young David was uncommonly bright, but few could
have imagined that one day he would harness the unimagined powers of
science to defend patients whose immune systems were fatally weakened by
AIDS. By demonstrating the ways HIV attacks the human body, he fundamentally changed the way we understand and treat
this devastating disease. His groundbreaking work, using protease
inhibitors, in combination with standard therapies, has offered a longer
life to countless people living with AIDS.
And so we thank you, David Ho, for giving us
new hope that AIDS can be treated and one day cured and for reminding us
that a child's dream can lead to miracles for others.
[The President presented the medal.]
In 1988 the students at Gallaudet University rose up to demand a
university president who was like them, deaf or hard of hearing.
Gallaudet, the only university in the world designed entirely for
students who are deaf or hard of hearing, never had had a deaf
president. That is, not until I. King Jordan.
His appointment was not only a triumph for the students of Gallaudet but
a historic breakthrough for all people with disabilities and a powerful
reminder for the rest of our Nation that deaf people like I. King Jordan
can excel and lead as well as any other Americans. Moved by his example
and the efforts of the entire disability community, Congress soon passed
the Americans with Disabilities Act, the most important civil rights
legislation in the last quarter century.
I. King Jordan has been a great teacher,
a great university president, a great inspiration to millions of people
around the world. Along the way, he's found time to be a not
inconsiderable athlete, I might add, running great distances at more
than reasonable speeds. [Laughter] And he has been a very good friend to
this President for the last 8 years.
Thank you, President Jordan, for your
example and your leadership.
[The President presented the medal.]
Franklin Roosevelt once said, ``We must scrupulously guard the civil
rights and civil liberties of all our citizens, whatever their
background.'' In the decades since, America has had few guardians of
liberty more scrupulous or staunch than Anthony Lewis. Reporter, columnist, professor, author, Tony Lewis in
every role has been a clear and courageous voice for the values at the
core of our Constitution.
In books like ``Gideon's Trumpet,'' he has
deepened our understanding of freedom of speech and our continuing
battle for civil rights. Twice, his reporting has won the Pulitzer
Prize. Perhaps even more important, throughout a lifetime, all his
writings, including his column, have shown a commitment and a passion
with a civil tone and a careful, thoughtful reasoning that have been
more powerful than the forces of brute power and injustice.
Thank you, Tony Lewis, for the values you
have espoused, for the way you have espoused them, and for never growing
weary.
[The President presented the medal.]
It was 1944, wartime, and African-American soldiers were fighting
and dying to protect freedom around the world. Unfortunately, African-
Americans were also battling an insidious enemy here at home, Jim Crow.
It was then that a young mother named Irene Morgan took up that fight with dignity and determination. On
her way to a doctor's appointment, she refused
to give up her seat on a segregated Greyhound bus and appealed her
subsequent arrest all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court's
1946 ruling banning segregation on interstate transportation was an
early victory in the struggle for civil rights. It signaled the
beginning of the end for Jim Crow.
Over all the decades since, Irene Morgan
has never asked for accolades, but today we honor her. We acknowledge
our debt to her quiet and brave fight for freedom. And we acknowledge
the fact that she was there before just about anybody else, and in spite
of that, she still looks like a beautiful, young woman. Irene Morgan.
[The President presented the medal.]
When Constance Baker Motley
joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, she set out to do
nothing less than remake American law. Along the way, she herself made
history. A key strategist in the civil rights movement, sheargued nine winning cases before the Supreme
Court. She went on to become the first African-American woman elected to
the New York State Senate, the first woman and
[[Page 2855]]
the first African-American to be borough president of Manhattan, the
first African-American woman to be named a Federal court judge.
Once she said she sought to,
``prove in everything I do that blacks and women are as capable as
anyone.'' As advocate, lawyer, public servant, and judge, she has been far more than capable; she has been
superb. And Constance Baker Motley, we are all in your debt.
[The President presented the medal.]
In the 1960's, Dr. Helen Rodriguez-Trias grew outraged at the poor quality of pediatric health
care in her native Puerto Rico, so she created the island's first center
for newborn babies at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Center and
cut the hospital's infant death rate in half. Ever since, in New York,
in California, all across America, Dr. Rodriguez-Trias has been working for better patient care, for better
treatment and prevention of AIDS, for women's health rights.
For fighting the good fight and saving countless lives, mostly among
poor people that are too often forgotten by others, I am proud to
present this medal to Dr. Helen Rodriguez-Trias.
[The President presented the medal.]
When Edward Roybal joined the Civilian
Conservation Corps in 1934, he didn't know he was embarking on a
lifetime of service to his country, but it turned out that way. In World
War II, he served in the Army; in the 1950's, on the Los Angeles city
council. In 1962 he became the first Hispanic elected to Congress from
California in almost a century, paving the way for a whole generation of
Latino lawmakers. During his 30 years in Congress, he championed
veterans, the elderly, the mentally ill, education, health care, and
minority rights.
For a lifetime of work that has improved the lives of millions and
for lighting the path for other Latino office holders, we honor today
Edward Roybal. He is unable to join us, but it
is a particular pleasure for me to present this award to his daughter,
now a Member of the United States Congress, Representative Lucille
Roybal-Allard.
[The President presented the medal.]
Eight years ago, in a very troubled time for the American economy, I
asked Bob Rubin to head my economic team and
to establish for the first time a National Economic Council in the White
House and involving all the economic agencies of the Government. I did
it not because he had been immensely successful in making money and knew
a lot about the economy but because he also understood the very real
impact decisions in Washington have on the lives and livelihoods of
ordinary Americans all across this Nation.
As my National Economic Adviser and later as a superb Secretary of
the Treasury, Bob balanced a commitment to
fiscal prudence and social progress. He understood that good economics
and a generous progressive social policy could go hand in hand.
He helped to balance the Nation's books and
to balance the Nation's priorities. And it is no accident that his
leadership in economic policy accompanied not only the longest economic
expansion in history but, last year, the biggest drop in child poverty
in 34 years, the biggest increase in personal income among the lowest 20
percent of working Americans in a very long time, and a general growth
in the equality and harmony we all seek from all our people.
He also never let me forget our special
responsibilities to the inner cities of America, which is why I
mentioned earlier that even though the Community Reinvestment Act has
been on the books for over 20 years, 95 percent of all the investment
occurred during the last 8 years.
Thank you, Bob Rubin, for helping make
America a better place.
[The President presented the medal.]
As a combat platoon leader in the Korean war, Warren Rudman never worried about the race or background of the men
with whom he fought. As a United States Senator, he never let his party
affiliation keep him from speaking his mind or building alliances to
fight the great legislative battles. He fought to strengthen and
modernize our national defense and to put our fiscal house in order. As
a private citizen, he has continued to
champion those causes with bipartisan zeal. As cofounder of the Concord
Coalition and as the leader of my Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board,
he has repeatedly, during these 8 years of my Presidency, undertaken
difficult, thankless, inherently controversial tasks with an honesty and
candor that showed a support for our Nation and a willingness to call
them as he saw them.
[[Page 2856]]
For his wise counsel, and his faithful service to our Nation, I am
grateful and proud to present Senator Warren Rudman with the Citizens Medal.
[The President presented the medal.]
Soon after graduating from law school, Charles Ruff volunteered to
go to Liberia to teach law. There he contracted an illness that left him
in a wheelchair for life. But this obstacle, nor any other, could ever
keep him from doing good. He went on to serve in the Justice Department
as United States Attorney and the chief lawyer for the District of
Columbia, the town he loved so well. I chose him as my White House
Counsel because of his unmatched ability as a legal advocate and his
even deeper devotion to the Constitution and the rule of law. Not long
ago he agreed to lead the Fair Labor Association to help end sweatshops
and improve the lives of the world's poorest people.
A few weeks ago, Chuck Ruff left our lives, far too soon. But his
determined spirit continues to inspire us and to call on us to do more,
to do right, to do good. We at the White House loved him very much, but
so did countless others, far beyond the walls of this hallowed place.
His secretary of 21 years, Ora Theard, will
accept the medal in his memory. And we thank him for the memories.
[The President presented the medal.]
As a young man, Arthur Schneier fled his
homeland and survived the Holocaust as a refugee. He knows, therefore,
firsthand the consequences of hatred and intolerance and has devoted his
life to fighting them. As founder and president of the Appeal of
Conscience Foundation, he has encouraged interfaith dialog,
intercultural understanding, and the cause of religious freedom around
the world. He has served as international envoy for four
administrations, including my own.
As Chairman of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's
Heritage Abroad and as the long-time rabbi of Park East Synagogue in New
York City, Rabbi, I thank you for all the
many things you have done here with me the last 8 years to promote
religious liberty around the world, and I thank you for a lifetime of
good work and good examples. I look forward to seeing you in New York, where perhaps you will become my
rabbi. Thank you.
[The President presented the medal.]
Before he was 40 years old, Eli Segal had
already built a string of successful businesses. He had also had a
string of successful friends. In 1992, by blind accident, I wound up
being one of them, and I asked my old friend, Eli Segal, to join my
administration, where he built from scratch two of our most successful
programs.
Eli began AmeriCorps, which has already given
more than 150,000 young people a chance to serve in their communities
and, in so doing, earn some money for college. Indeed, more people
served in AmeriCorps in the first 5 years of its existence than in the
first 25 years of the Peace Corps' existence.
After he returned briefly to private life and
his great affinity for making money, I called him back, and I said we
needed some more help. He then built our Welfare to Work Partnership,
which enlisted in the space of about 3 years, over 20,000 businesses, in
hiring more than one million people from the welfare rolls.
These efforts have both widened the circle of opportunity in America
and strengthened the tradition of service to country. For this, all
Americans owe Eli Segal a special debt of
gratitude. If you have ever seen the faces of those young AmeriCorps
kids or the pride of people who have moved from welfare to work, you
know why we're in Eli's debt. Thank you very much.
[The President presented the medal.]
John Seiberling has worn many hats
and won many accolades. As a soldier in World War II, as a lawyer for
the New York Legal Aids Society, a community planner for his beloved
city of Akron, a Congressman from Ohio fighting for civil rights and
arms control--in all arenas he has contributed to community and country.
But his greatest achievement was crafting and winning passage of the
Alaska Lands Act of 1980, which doubled the size of our inventory of
national parks and wildlife refugees and tripled the area of federally
designated wilderness. With that legislation, John Seiberling
singlehandedly saved more of our wilderness than any previous American,
a legacy that will last for generations.
Unfortunately, this environmental hero is unable to join us today, but we are very glad that his
son John will accept the medal on his
behalf.
[The President presented the medal.]
[[Page 2857]]
Few newspaper publishers in American history have been more
effective crusaders for justice than the late John Sengstacke. As owner
and editor of the legendary Chicago Defender for almost 60 years, he
provided a national forum for African-American issues and voices that
otherwise would have gone unheard. He nurtured the talents of countless
black journalists, and as a confidant of Presidents, played a key roll
in integrating the armed services, the Postal Service, Major League
Baseball, and the White House press corps.
On behalf of a grateful nation, I offer this medal posthumously to
his son, Bobby.
[The President presented the medal.]
When bigots blew up his house with dynamite, the Reverend Fred
Shuttlesworth stood in front of the
smoking rubble and renewed his call for an integrated Birmingham. When
the city fathers had him arrested for civil disobedience, he filled the
jails with so many sympathetic protesters, there was no room to hold
them all. When angry authorities blasted him with a firehose, he told
them they could knock him down, but they could not extinguish the torch
of justice.
Fred Shuttlesworth risked his life so
that every American, no matter the color of his or her skin, might live
in a nation of dignity, opportunity, and equal justice under law. We
thank him for a lifetime of leadership and for an unextinguished spirit.
[The President presented the medal.]
She was born in England, but Elizabeth Taylor became thoroughly American royalty. For more than a
generation, she has reigned over the silver screen, stirring hearts and
capturing imaginations. She earned two Oscars and countless other honors
as an actress.
But perhaps her greatest role has been
off the screen, as a relentless and very, very early crusader for AIDS
research and care. She has not only raised--[applause]--she raised
millions and millions of dollars in this fight and raised awareness
about the human impact of this dreaded disease before many, many others
were on the bandwagon.
Elizabeth Taylor has brought to life
unforgettable characters on film, but she has brought even more hope to
millions around the world. We thank her for sharing her talent and her
heart. Thank you, Elizabeth Taylor.
[The President presented the medal.]
When the Nazis marched on Vienna, a 6-year-old girl fled with her
mother across Europe, only to wind up in an internment camp rife with
starvation, disease, and death. Out of that searing experience, Marion
Wiesel summoned the courage to commit her life
to teaching others, especially children, about the human cost of hatred,
intolerance, and racism.
She has written a documentary about the
1.3 million children murdered in the Holocaust and has translated the
books of her husband, Elie Wiesel, so that
countless more people can read and learn their lessons. With the money
from his Nobel Prize, she and Elie established the Wiesel Foundation, to
educate children against indifference to the suffering of others.
Marion, for your mission of hope against
hate, of life against death, of good over evil, it is an honor to award
you this Citizens Medal.
[The President presented the medal.]
Patrisha Wright was training to be an
orthopedic surgeon when a degenerative muscle disease left her with
double vision. Instead of fixing broken bones, she set about to fix what
was broken in our system and dedicated her life to ending discrimination
against people with disabilities. As founder of the Disability Rights
Education and Defense Fund, she joined
forces with the wider civil rights community. Her strategic brilliance
and no-nonsense approach during passage of the Americans with
Disabilities Act earned her the title of ``The General.'' Now she works
to empower people and families with disabilities throughout the entire
world.
Ever since a visual impairment changed the path of her career,
her dedication to civil rights has changed
the path of America and helped more of us to see clearly. Today, we
salute you, ``The General,'' Patrisha Wright.
[The President presented the medal.]
Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for joining us to honor these
remarkable people. Some of them are famous, and some were not, at least
until today. Some of them had their service thrust upon them by
circumstances; others chose the path. Whatever their stories, together
they form a remarkable fabric of what is best about our country, what is
best about its history, and what is most encouraging when we look to the
future.
[[Page 2858]]
They remind us, once again, something that I need to remember in
these days, that the greatest title any one of us can ever hold is that
of citizen.
Thank you, and goodbye.
Note: The President spoke at 3:32 p.m. in a pavilion on the South Lawn
at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Lt. Comdr. Pat
DeQuattro, USCG, Coast Guard Aide to the President.