[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 26 (Monday, July 1, 1996)]
[Page 1146]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Death of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Mollie 
Beattie

June 28, 1996

    America lost one of its great spirits with the untimely passing of 
Mollie Beattie. Mollie was a person who believed in the value of life 
and wildlife so deeply that she dedicated her many talents to preserving 
God's gracious Earth.
    As the first woman director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Mollie presided over a sea change in the administration of the 
Endangered Species Act by improving the way Government worked. She was 
the number one advocate for our national wildlife refuges, forever 
fighting to keep the system strong and growing.
    Mollie Beattie's devotion to this Earth and its creatures was 
passionate, caring, and wise. There is a grace and natural beauty in 
America; because of Mollie our country has even more of that grace. 
Hillary and I send our prayers and sympathies to Mollie's family. We 
will miss her.