[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 40 (Monday, October 11, 1993)]
[Page 2015]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Honoring White House Fellows

 October 6, 1993

    Thank you very much. Mr. Vice President and my longtime friend Nancy 
Bekavac, ladies and gentlemen. I want to welcome the White House 
fellows, their families and friends and the White House Fellowship 
Commission here.
    This program has been largely a secret to the American people for a 
long time, and yet it has been one of the most important things that has 
been done to enrich and diversify the work of administrations for 
decades now.
    We have a remarkable array of White House fellows this year. We have 
an American Indian poet and legal scholar working at the Interior 
Department, a basketball star and a tax expert at State, an AIDS 
specialist at Commerce, two doctors at the Pentagon. Several fellows 
work here at the White House, including an astronomer tackling 
environmental issues at the National Security Council, a Bronx preacher 
reviewing domestic policy--sometimes I think we do better praying over 
these problems than what we do anyway--an author and an illustrator 
helping to build our national service corps, and we have two heroes of 
the Persian Gulf war, one working for the Vice President and one for 
Mack McLarty, my Chief of Staff.
    I am very grateful to all the people here behind me and all those 
who have served on the Fellowship Commission, including our birthday 
girl, Pauline Gore.
    With all of your responsibilities, it's a credit to you that you 
understand the importance of this program, that you've been willing to 
give your time, your attention, your energies to it. I hope that you 
will always be very, very proud of this.
    You know, Colin Powell was a White House fellow. Henry Cisneros was 
a White House fellow. Tim Wirth, our Under Secretary of State for Global 
Affairs, was a White House fellow. We don't have any idea what these 
young people here behind me will be doing in 5 or 10 or 15 years. But 
one thing is for sure, whatever it is they wind up doing, they'll do a 
better job of it because those of you on this Commission gave them an 
opportunity to serve. And I will certainly be a better President because 
you gave them an opportunity to serve.
    This has been a truly astonishing month. A lot of incredible things 
have happened in the world and in our country. And all these people have 
been a part of that remarkable change. We're committed to continuing to 
do that.
    I told a dinner last night there's something to be said just for 
showing up for work every day. Sooner or later you can make some good 
things happen. But it's a lot easier when you've got people with the 
richness, the diversity, the gifts and the commitment of the White House 
fellows.
    So to all of you, I say thank you, and I give you my renewed 
commitment to this program and to honoring your service and your 
efforts.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 5:57 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Nancy Bekavac, president, Scripps 
College, Claremont, CA.