[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 3 (Monday, January 19, 1998)]
[Pages 66-71]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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

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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, Comdr. Wes Huey, USN, Navy 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.

[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.

[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

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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.

[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.

[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.

[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 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.

[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

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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.

[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.

[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.

[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.
    Commander, read the citation.

[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,

[[Page 70]]

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.

[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.

[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.

[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 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

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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]

[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.