[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 44 (Monday, November 8, 1999)]
[Page 2260]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 
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.