[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 17 (Monday, April 29, 2002)]
[Pages 672-674]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Presenting the Arts and Humanities Awards

April 22, 2002

    The President. Please be seated. We meet this evening to recognize 
some of our Nation's finest artists and scholars and authors. We honor 
their lifelong pursuit of excellence, and we hold up their achievements 
to future generations.
    I want to welcome you all. I want to thank Dr. Bruce Cole, who is 
the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Eileen 
Mason, Acting Chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts. I want 
to recognize Mrs. Lynne Cheney; Secretary of State Colin Powell and his 
wife, Alma; Tom Ridge, who is the Director of the Homeland Security 
Office.
    Tonight we've got members of the Supreme Court with us: Antonin 
Scalia and his wife, Maureen; Stephen Breyer and his wife, Joanna. We've 
got a special entertainment tonight provided by my National Security 
Adviser, Condoleezza Rice. [Laughter]
    I want to thank the Members of the United States Congress who are 
here: from the United States Senate, Pete Domenici and Joe Lieberman, 
and from the House of Representatives, Norman Dicks, Mike McNulty, Tom 
Petri, Silvestre Reyes, and Louise Slaughter.
    I also want to thank Adair Margo, who is the Chairman of the 
President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. I want to thank 
the members of that committee, as well as the members of the National 
Council on the Arts and National Council on the Humanities.
    I also want to pay tribute to the memory of Michael Hammond, who 
passed away in January after serving for only one week as the Chairman 
of the National Endowment for the Arts. A classically educated scholar, 
Mike Hammond was also a composer and an educator and an expert on the 
neurology of the brain. All of us who were privileged to know Mike will 
miss him deeply.
    The men and women who are about to receive the National Medal of 
Arts and the National Humanities Medal are singers and dancers and 
painters and producers and actors and writers and scholars. Yet, for all 
their differences, they have one thing in common: They're all teachers. 
They teach us about a ``Boy Named Sue''--[laughter]--about an ``Odd 
Couple.'' They teach us about a ``Last Lion'' or a ``Ragman's Son.'' 
They help us to see more clearly and to think more deeply. They connect 
our past to our present and point the way to our future. And of course, 
they all have ``The Right Stuff.'' [Laughter]
    Honoring our leading artists and writers comes naturally to us. Yet, 
art and literature are often the first targets of tyranny, because 
they're the most prominent features of a free, creative, and open 
society. This creativity,

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this openness, and this freedom are what America defends today.
    This evening, as we celebrate the achievements of these remarkably 
talented women and men, let us also take just a moment to celebrate the 
Nation that esteems their craft, their hard work, and their sacrifice. 
America is proud to stand for creativity and freedom and civilization, 
and we honor these men and women who embody these values for America and 
for the world.
    It is now my privilege to present the 2001 National Humanities Medal 
winners.
    First, Jose Cisneros: Jose is well-known and well-loved for his 
historically accurate depictions of the Old Southwest. Major, please 
read the citation.

[At this point, Maj. James M. McAllister, USA, Army Aide to the 
President, read the citation, and the President presented the medal.]

    The President. Robert Coles is a scholar, teacher, psychiatrist, 
best known for his sensitive observation of the inner lives of our 
children. Major, please read the citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. Sharon Darling, a former schoolteacher, is president 
of the National Center for Family Literacy, an organization that spans 
the Nation and reaches thousands of families every single year. Major, 
please read the citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. William Manchester is a gifted historian and 
biographer who makes the past come alive for millions of the readers. 
Major, please read the citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. Richard Peck has written more than 25 novels for 
younger readers which stress the importance of taking responsibility for 
one's actions. Major, please read the citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. Eileen Jackson Southern, who could not join us 
tonight, is a pioneering musicologist who has helped us understand the 
power of African-American music. Major, please read the citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation.]

    The President. Tom Wolfe is a chronicler of our times who has told 
us more about ourselves than many shelves of sociology books. Major, 
please read the citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 
established by Congress in 1949, has worked more than 50 years to put 
historic preservation on the national agenda. Major, please read the 
citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. It is now my privilege to present the 2001 National 
Medals of Arts winners.
    Rudolfo Anaya, called the Godfather of Chicano Literature, has 
written many works about the myths and folklore of the Southwest. Major, 
please read the citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. Johnny Cash: The Man in Black, country legend, an 
American beloved by millions. Major, please read the citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. Kirk Douglas is a distinguished actor, director, 
writer, and producer who has brought us more memorable performances on 
stage and screen than nearly anybody else for the past 60 years. Major, 
please read the citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. Helen Frankenthaler is an abstract expressionist 
painter whose works combine thoughtfulness with spontaneity. And I'm 
proud to say that Laura and I have one of her early works, ``Painted on 
the 21st Street,'' which hangs in the private residence

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at the White House. Major, please read the citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. Judith Jamison: She's a master dancer, teacher, 
choreographer, and arts administrator who has been a creative force in 
the dance world for nearly four decades. Major, please read the 
citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. Yo-Yo Ma: World-renowned cellist who represents the 
very best in classical music. I tipped my hand a little earlier, but 
later on this great American figure will be performing with another 
world-renowned figure. [Laughter] Major, please read the citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. Mike Nichols: The endlessly inventive comedian, 
producer, and director of stage and screen. Major, please read the 
citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. The Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, begun by master 
dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey in 1958, today ranks as one of 
America's most prestigious dance companies. Major, please read the 
citation.

[Major McAllister read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. Yes. Alvin Ailey. Congratulations.
    And now it is my great pleasure to introduce my wife--[laughter]--
the First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush.

[The First Lady congratulated the honorees and introduced Yo-Yo Ma and 
Condoleezza Rice, who performed a duet on cello and piano.]

    The President. Well, thank you all for coming tonight. It's been a 
fantastic evening. Again, I want to congratulate our honorees. And may 
God bless them, and may God continue to bless America.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 5:30 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall. The 
transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also included 
the remarks of the First Lady.