[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 18 (Monday, May 9, 2005)]
[Pages 717-718]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Presenting the Preserve America Presidential Awards

May 2, 2005

    The President. A couple of funny lines one evening and she gets 
carried away. [Laughter] Laura Leno Bush. [Laughter]
    We welcome you to the White House. We welcome you to the Rose 
Garden. I hope you think it's as beautiful a place as we do, and we're 
honored to have some of America's outstanding community leaders and 
preservationists with us.
    Laura is a preservationist. She's done a lot of good work here at 
the White House. She's helped restore the Cabinet Room. Most recently 
she restored the Lincoln Bedroom, based upon old photos. And you've left 
your marks in your communities, and she's going to leave a great mark 
here in Washington, DC, as well. I'm really proud of her. And we're both 
proud of the hard work you're doing to preserve historic resources in 
your communities and helping to sustain the national memory for future 
generations.
    I appreciate Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton for joining us. 
Welcome, Madam Secretary. And I want to thank Fran Mainella, who is the 
Director of the National Parks system. Thanks for coming.
    I appreciate Congressmen John Barrow of Georgia and Donna 
Christensen of the Virgin Islands. Welcome. Glad you both are here. 
Thank you for coming.
    I appreciate Bruce Cole being here. He's the Chairman of the 
National Endowment of the Humanities. And I want to thank my longtime 
friend from Texas, John Nau, who is the Chairman of the Advisory Council 
on Historic Preservation. Welcome. And Bobbie, good to see you, Bobbie.
    Like you all, Laura and I want every American to have a chance to 
learn about this country's history and to enjoy our national treasures. 
So in 2003, we created the Preserve America Presidential Awards to 
recognize outstanding contributions to America's cultural and national 
heritage. The efforts of today's award winners have drawn tourists to 
museums and towns, created jobs, and revitalized neighborhoods. They've 
also opened new opportunities for learning.
    The first Preserve America award winner we honor this year has 
helped extend the legacy of one of Laura's favorite authors, Edith 
Wharton. When we first moved to the White House, she was reading Edith 
Wharton's books. Sometimes it was hard to get her to turn off the light. 
[Laughter] By the way, this wasn't the first time she read Edith 
Wharton's books; it was the second time she read Edith Wharton's books.
    And today we are proud to recognize the efforts of Edith Wharton 
Restoration to restore The Mount, the Massachusetts country estate of 
this American literary icon. Edith Wharton once said that there are two 
ways of spreading light, to be the candle or the mirror that reflects 
it. Your work reflects her light and will enrich our national heritage. 
Congratulations. Thank you all for coming.
    The second award recipient is close to our hearts. The Texas 
Heritage Trails Program has mapped out special driving routes through 
the State to encourage regional tourism and bring some of Texas' proud 
history to light. Parents can take their children on a drive to learn 
about pioneers and cowboys. [Laughter] That would not be the Dallas 
Cowboys, although they're--[laughter]. And as they do so, they get to 
see the great diversity and beauty of the Texas landscape.
    One potential visitor even expressed interest in riding the whole 
650-mile Texas Independence Trail on a bicycle. That was not me. 
[Laughter] When I move back to Texas, I can't wait to see the delights 
of the trail again.
    Congratulations, and welcome.

[[Page 718]]

    Our third award recipient has restored a site almost as old as 
America, itself. In Sainte Genevieve, Missouri, Bolduc Historic 
Properties has fixed up some of the State's first French Colonial homes, 
right on the banks of the Mississippi River. The restoration of the 18th 
Bolduc House has attracted visitors from around the country and has 
drawn rave reviews. Historical restoration is a job for----
    The First Lady. Eighteenth century. [Laughter]
    The President. You've become a comedian and an editor. [Laughter] 
We're glad you're here.
    Historical restoration is a job for perfectionists, as I was saying. 
[Laughter] And our fourth recipient teaches us an important lesson: If 
something is worth doing, it is worth doing right. When the Historic 
Savannah Foundation and Davenport House Committee discovered that an 
earlier restoration on the Isaiah Davenport House Museum was 
historically inaccurate, they started over. Isn't that right? And you 
got the job done right this time.
    The Davenport House inspired Savannah's unique ethic of preservation 
and led to the restoration of hundreds of other historic buildings. The 
city of Savannah has become a model for other towns to emulate. Tourists 
visiting historic sites contributed more than a billion dollars to 
Savannah's economy last year.
    We welcome you here. Congratulations on doing well.
    Again, Laura and I welcome you. Establishing the Presidential Awards 
is a small way of encouraging acts of preservation around our country. 
We look forward to giving the awards next year. We hope those who are 
listening become inspired by the examples of our recipients. Again, we 
congratulate our recipients and thank you for a job well done. May God 
bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at approximately 10:25 a.m. in the Rose Garden 
at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to John L. Nau III, 
Chairman, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and his wife, 
Barbara ``Bobbie'' E. Nau. The transcript released by the Office of the 
Press Secretary also included the remarks of the First Lady.