Remarks on presenting the Arts and Humanities awards

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, April 29, 2002

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 Cohn 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, 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.