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Presidential Scholars 6/19/91 [OA 6034]
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Document No. 246316SS
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
91 JUN18 All: 06
DATE: 6/18/91
---
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
ROGERS
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
91 JUN 17 PH 4: 52
June 17, 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
TONY SNOW 13
FROM:
CURT SMITH
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
On Wednesday, June 19th, at 2:30 p.m., on the South Lawn,
you will deliver brief remarks (approximately 9 minutes) at a
ceremony honoring this year's Presidential Scholars. Your speech
stresses the importance of education, highlighting the America
2000 Education Strategy. Attendees include White House
Commission on Presidential Scholars Chairman Governor Engler,
Secretary of Education Alexander, Commission members, corporate
sponsors, and Presidential Scholars.
(Smith/Grossman)
June 13, 1991
Draft Four
SCHOLARS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
SOUTH LAWN
2:30 p.m.
Governor Engler, Secretary Alexander. Members of the
Commission and corporate sponsors, ladies and gentlemen, friends.
Welcome to the White House -- and to an event that celebrates the
highest scholastic honor a President can bestow. //
((First, I want to say there's no rule that says the person
giving this speech has to be as smart as the students receiving
the scholarships. )) //
((I wasn't the most brilliant student in America, but then I
wasn't quite like George Burns. George once said, "Smartness
runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my
teacher was in my class for five years. ")) //
Even at 95, George Burns would salute the Presidential
Scholarship Program, now 27 years old. / Today, I would like to
discuss how education can -- and must -- help prepare America's
children to serve the nation, and the world. //
Let me begin by asking you to look at yourselves. What do
you see? You see some of our best and brightest young people.
You see living educational success stories. You see our hope for
an exciting, rich future. //
6
You come from every sort of background -- every race and
creed. You live in all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
2
Puerto Rico, and in other lands. But as Americans, you revere
learning, achievement -- and the hope that both create.
California's Marisa DeSalles (Dee SALZ) realizes that. She
expects to be the first woman in her family to earn an
undergraduate degree. // So does Jonathan Sievers (SEE vers) -
born on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. He is the third
sibling in his family commended as a Presidential Scholar --
that's really remarkable. Jonathan thanks his parents -- let me
use his words -- for "making me practice and for leaving the fish
alone. // Then, there's another, Kai Ng (KYE ENG) of Illinois.
Coming here from Hong Kong in 1974, she learned English from her
sister and Sesame Street. // Funny: That's the same place I'm
trying to learn computer programming. //
Education traditionally has served as the ladder that
enables individual Americans to reach beyond the clouds. Every
time someone succeeds in going further, higher -- we all reap the
benefits.
Aimee Crago (eh MAY CRAY go), a Presidential Scholar from
Louisiana, has said: "I. think that in order to be the person one
wants to be, one needs to have a knowledge of all the people one
could be, and education provides this knowledge." /
It has become something of a cliche to say that knowledge is
power -- but it is. Knowledge, imagination, ambition: these form
the pillars for our future. Education can help us keep our
competitive edge and imaginative fires -- here and abroad. It
gives us the means to raise our standard of living and improve
3
the quality of our lives. It can lead us into a new Golden Age
of information, understanding, and technology.
America has no natural resource more precious than its
intellectual resources. // That is why, recently, I announced
our America 2000 Education Strategy -- a pioneering crusade to
make -- and keep -- American education number one. //
For today's students, we must make existing schools better
and more accountable. For tomorrow's students, the next
generation -- we must create a new generation of American
schools. For all of us -- for the adults who think our school
days are over -- we've got to become a Nation of students --
recognize that learning is a lifetime process. Finally, outside
our schools, we must make our communities places where learning
can occur. //
Our education strategy realizes that education can help us
practically. For over 200 years, America's genius has created
innovations like the wireless, the model T, and integrated
circuits. ((I'm reminded of the man who was asked what he would
take if his house was on fire and he could remove only one thing.
// He answered, "I would take the fire. ) // American
scholarship works. //
Yet education must also shape us morally -- providing the
grounding ideas and values crucial to democracy. // I have said
that in America, the definition of a successful life must include
serving others. But you cannot serve if you cannot think. You
4
cannot serve if you cannot separate good from bad, true from
false, practical from dreamy.
Just as many have labored to share their knowledge with you
-- parents, teachers, administrators, friends -- you must follow
suit. // Give of yourselves -- as a tutor in a prison, at a
local school, in a homeless center. You will share something far
more profound than little scraps of information. You will share
a way of looking at the world -- and at looking at yourself. //
You are today's trailblazers and leaders. What you learn
today and in years to come will help us make the 21st Century the
next American Century. It won't be easy. ( (I recall once how,
marking an examination paper shortly before Christmas, the noted
scholar William Lyon Phelps came across a note. The note read,
"God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas. "
/
Phelps returned the paper with the annotation, "God gets an A.
You get an F. Happy New Year. ") )
You can't bluff your way through the future. You have to
face it squarely -- and take it on. You will encounter
obstacles, but you will overcome them. You will conquer through
resilience / scholarship / and above all, the example of your
lives. //
As you do, think of those who deserve our thanks. People
like Governor John Engler, Chairman of the White House Commission
on Presidential Scholars. / And the Commission sponsors. / And
let me salute the Commission members who chose 141 honorees from
among America's high school seniors. //
5
But also remember the teachers who inspired you -- the
friends or adults who counseled you, supported you, gave you the
confidence to achieve great things. // Kathryn Cunningham, a
Scholar from Vermont, has said, "I thank my parents for their
advice that achievements mean nothing if they don't help anyone
else." All your parents ought to be proud. While this is your
day, it's also theirs. //
To every Presidential Scholar, my heart-felt congratulations
-- and in closing, a challenge. // Let us not only move mankind
into the future. Let us better it, ennoble it. Make the best of
the special blessings bestowed upon you. God bless you, and your
wonderful families. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS \ SOUTH LAWN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991 \ 2:30 P.M.
GOVERNOR ENGLER, SECRETARY ALEXANDER. MEMBERS OF
THE COMMISSION AND CORPORATE SPONSORS, LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN, FRIENDS. WELCOME To THE WHITE HOUSE -- AND
TO AN EVENT THAT CELEBRATES THE HIGHEST SCHOLASTIC
HONOR A PRESIDENT CAN BESTOW. //
((FIRST, I WANT TO SAY THERE'S NO RULE THAT SAYS
THE PERSON GIVING THIS SPEECH HAS TO BE AS SMART AS THE
STUDENTS RECEIVING THE SCHOLARSHIPS.) //
- 2 -
WHICH REMINDS ME OF WHAT GEORGE BURNS ONCE SAID,
"SMARTNESS RUNS IN MY FAMILY. WHEN I WENT To SCHOOL I
WAS so SMART MY TEACHER WAS IN MY CLASS FOR FIVE
YEARS.")) //
EVEN AT 95, GEORGE BURNS WOULD SALUTE THE
PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, NOW 27 YEARS OLD. /
TODAY, I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS HOW EDUCATION CAN -- AND
MUST -- HELP PREPARE AMERICA'S CHILDREN To SERVE THE
NATION, AND THE WORLD. //
- 3 -
LET ME BEGIN BY ASKING YOU TO LOOK AT YOURSELVES.
WHAT DO YOU SEE? You SEE SOME OF OUR BEST AND
BRIGHTEST YOUNG PEOPLE. You SEE LIVING EDUCATIONAL
SUCCESS STORIES. You SEE OUR HOPE FOR AN EXCITING,
RICH FUTURE. //
You COME FROM EVERY SORT OF BACKGROUND -- EVERY
RACE AND CREED. You LIVE IN ALL FIFTY STATES, THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, PUERTO RICO, AND IN OTHER LANDS.
- 4 -
BUT AS AMERICANS, YOU REVERE LEARNING, ACHIEVEMENT --
AND THE HOPE THAT BOTH CREATE.
CALIFORNIA'S MARISA DESALLES (DEE SALZ) REALIZES
THAT. SHE EXPECTS TO BE THE FIRST WOMAN IN HER FAMILY
TO EARN AN UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE. // So DOES JONATHAN
SIEVERS (SEE VERS) BORN ON KWAJALEIN IN THE MARSHALL
ISLANDS. HE IS THE THIRD SIBLING IN HIS FAMILY
COMMENDED AS A PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR -- THAT'S REALLY
REMARKABLE.
- 5 -
JONATHAN THANKS HIS PARENTS -- LET ME USE HIS WORDS --
FOR "MAKING ME PRACTICE AND FOR LEAVING THE FISH
ALONE." // THEN, THERE'S ANOTHER, KAI NG (KYE ENG) OF
ILLINOIS. COMING HERE FROM HONG KONG IN 1974, SHE
LEARNED ENGLISH FROM HER SISTER AND SESAME STREET. //
FUNNY: THAT'S THE SAME PLACE I'M TRYING TO LEARN
COMPUTER PROGRAMMING. //
EDUCATION TRADITIONALLY HAS SERVED AS THE LADDER
THAT ENABLES INDIVIDUAL AMERICANS TO REACH BEYOND THE
CLOUDS.
- 6 -
EVERY TIME SOMEONE SUCCEEDS IN GOING FURTHER, HIGHER
-- WE ALL REAP THE BENEFITS.
AIMEE CRAGO (EH MAY CRAY GO), A PRESIDENTIAL
SCHOLAR FROM LOUISIANA, HAS SAID: "I THINK THAT IN
ORDER TO BE THE PERSON ONE WANTS TO BE, ONE NEEDS TO
HAVE A KNOWLEDGE OF ALL THE PEOPLE ONE COULD BE, AND
EDUCATION PROVIDES THIS KNOWLEDGE." /
IT HAS BECOME SOMETHING OF A CLICHE TO SAY THAT
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER -- BUT IT IS.
- 7 -
KNOWLEDGE, IMAGINATION, AMBITION: THESE FORM THE
PILLARS FOR OUR FUTURE. EDUCATION CAN HELP US KEEP OUR
COMPETITIVE EDGE AND IMAGINATIVE FIRES -- HERE AND
ABROAD. IT GIVES US THE MEANS TO RAISE OUR STANDARD OF
LIVING AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF OUR LIVES. IT CAN
LEAD US INTO A NEW GOLDEN AGE OF INFORMATION,
UNDERSTANDING, AND TECHNOLOGY.
AMERICA HAS NO NATURAL RESOURCE MORE PRECIOUS THAN
ITS INTELLECTUAL RESOURCES. //
- 8 -
THAT IS WHY, RECENTLY, I ANNOUNCED OUR AMERICA 2000
EDUCATION STRATEGY -- A PIONEERING CRUSADE TO MAKE --
AND KEEP -- AMERICAN EDUCATION NUMBER ONE. //
FOR TODAY'S STUDENTS, WE MUST MAKE EXISTING SCHOOLS
BETTER AND MORE ACCOUNTABLE. FOR TOMORROW'S STUDENTS,
THE NEXT GENERATION -- WE MUST CREATE A NEW GENERATION
OF AMERICAN SCHOOLS. FOR ALL OF US -- FOR THE ADULTS
WHO THINK OUR SCHOOL DAYS ARE OVER -- WE'VE GOT TO
BECOME A NATION OF STUDENTS -- RECOGNIZE THAT LEARNING
IS A LIFETIME PROCESS.
- 9 -
FINALLY, OUTSIDE OUR SCHOOLS, WE MUST MAKE OUR
COMMUNITIES PLACES WHERE LEARNING CAN OCCUR. //
OUR EDUCATION STRATEGY REALIZES THAT EDUCATION CAN
HELP US PRACTICALLY. FOR OVER 200 YEARS, AMERICA'S
GENIUS HAS CREATED INNOVATIONS LIKE THE WIRELESS, THE
MODEL T, AND INTEGRATED CIRCUITS. ((I'M REMINDED OF
THE MAN WHO WAS ASKED WHAT HE WOULD TAKE IF HIS HOUSE
WAS ON FIRE AND HE COULD REMOVE ONLY ONE THING. //
- 10 -
HE ANSWERED, "I WOULD TAKE THE FIRE. ")) // AMERICAN
SCHOLARSHIP WORKS. //
YET EDUCATION MUST ALSO SHAPE US MORALLY --
PROVIDING THE GROUNDING IDEAS AND VALUES CRUCIAL To
DEMOCRACY. // I HAVE SAID THAT IN AMERICA, THE
DEFINITION OF A SUCCESSFUL LIFE MUST INCLUDE SERVING
OTHERS. BUT YOU CANNOT SERVE IF YOU CANNOT THINK. You
CANNOT SERVE IF YOU CANNOT SEPARATE GOOD FROM BAD, TRUE
FROM FALSE, PRACTICAL FROM DREAMY.
- 11 -
JUST AS MANY HAVE LABORED TO SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE
WITH YOU -- PARENTS, TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS,
FRIENDS -- YOU MUST FOLLOW SUIT. // GIVE OF
YOURSELVES -- AS A TUTOR IN A PRISON, AT A LOCAL
SCHOOL, IN A HOMELESS CENTER. You WILL SHARE SOMETHING
FAR MORE PROFOUND THAN LITTLE SCRAPS OF INFORMATION.
You WILL SHARE A WAY OF LOOKING AT THE WORLD -- AND OF
LOOKING AT YOURSELF. //
- 12 -
You ARE TODAY'S TRAILBLAZERS AND LEADERS. WHAT YOU
LEARN TODAY AND IN YEARS To COME WILL HELP US MAKE THE
21st CENTURY THE NEXT AMERICAN CENTURY. IT WON'T BE
EASY. ((I RECALL ONCE HOW, MARKING AN EXAMINATION
PAPER SHORTLY BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THE NOTED SCHOLAR
WILLIAM LYON PHELPS CAME ACROSS A NOTE. THE NOTE READ,
"GOD ONLY KNOWS THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION. MERRY
CHRISTMAS." /
- 13 -
PHELPS RETURNED THE PAPER WITH THE ANNOTATION, "God
GETS AN A. You GET AN F. HAPPY NEW YEAR. "))
You CAN'T BLUFF YOUR WAY THROUGH THE FUTURE. You
HAVE TO FACE IT SQUARELY -- AND TAKE IT ON. You WILL
ENCOUNTER OBSTACLES, BUT YOU WILL OVERCOME THEM. You
WILL CONQUER THROUGH RESILIENCE / SCHOLARSHIP / AND
ABOVE ALL, THE EXAMPLE OF YOUR LIVES. //
As YOU DO, THINK OF THOSE WHO DESERVE OUR THANKS.
PEOPLE LIKE GOVERNOR JOHN ENGLER, CHAIRMAN OF THE WHITE
HOUSE COMMISSION ON PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS. /
- 14 -
AND THE COMMISSION SPONSORS. / AND LET ME SALUTE THE
COMMISSION MEMBERS WHO CHOSE 141 HONOREES FROM AMONG
AMERICA'S HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS. //
BUT ALSO REMEMBER THE TEACHERS WHO INSPIRED YOU --
THE FRIENDS OR ADULTS WHO COUNSELED YOU, SUPPORTED YOU,
GAVE YOU THE CONFIDENCE TO ACHIEVE GREAT THINGS. //
KATHRYN CUNNINGHAM, A SCHOLAR FROM VERMONT, HAS SAID,
"I THANK MY PARENTS FOR THEIR ADVICE THAT ACHIEVEMENTS
MEAN NOTHING IF THEY DON'T HELP ANYONE ELSE.'
- 15 -
ALL YOUR PARENTS OUGHT TO BE PROUD. WHILE THIS IS YOUR
DAY, IT'S ALSO THEIRS. //
To EVERY PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR, MY HEART-FELT
CONGRATULATIONS -- AND IN CLOSING, A CHALLENGE. // LET
US NOT ONLY MOVE MANKIND INTO THE FUTURE. LET US
BETTER IT, ENNOBLE IT. MAKE THE BEST OF THE SPECIAL
BLESSINGS BESTOWED UPON YOU. GOD BLESS YOU, AND YOUR
WONDERFUL FAMILIES. AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
#
#
#
#
THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN
THE WHITE HOUSE
91 JUN 17 PM 4: 52
WASHINGTON
6-18
June 17, 1991
Good
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
TONY SNOW
FROM:
CURT SMITH
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
CP Itiny chay
On Wednesday, June 19th, at 2:30 p.m., on the South Lawn,
you will deliver brief remarks (approximately 9 minutes) at a
ceremony honoring this year's Presidential Scholars. Your speech
stresses the importance of education, highlighting the America
2000 Education Strategy. Attendees include White House
Commission on Presidential Scholars Chairman Governor Engler,
Secretary of Education Alexander, Commission members, corporate
sponsors, and Presidential Scholars.
(Smith/Grossman)
June 13, 1991
Draft Four
SCHOLARS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
SOUTH LAWN
2:30 p.m.
Governor Engler, Secretary Alexander. Members of the
that
Commission and corporate sponsors, ladies and gentlemen, friends.
Welcome to the White House -- and to an event that celebrates the
highest scholastic honor a President can bestow. //
((First, I want to say there's no rule that says the person
giving this speech has to be as smart as the students receiving
the scholarships.) ) //
{
wich
remands are priffiant what in America, but then I
wasn't quite like George Burns, Veorge once said, "Smartness
runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my
teacher was in my class for five years. ") ) //
Even at 95, George Burns would salute the Presidential
Scholarship Program, now 27 years old. / Today, I would like to
discuss how education can -- and must -- help prepare America's
children to serve the nation, and the world. //
Let me begin by asking you to look at yourselves. What do
you see? You see some of our best and brightest young people.
You see living educational success stories. You see our hope for
an exciting, rich future. //
You come from every sort of background -- every race and
creed. You live in all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
2
Puerto Rico, and in other lands. But as Americans, you revere
learning, achievement -- and the hope that both create.
California's Marisa DeSalles (Dee SALZ) realizes that. She
expects to be the first woman in her family to earn an
undergraduate degree. // So does Jonathan Sievers (SEE vers) -
born on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. He is the third
sibling in his family commended as a Presidential Scholar --
that's really remarkable. Jonathan thanks his parents -- let me
use his words -- for "making me practice and for leaving the fish
alone." // Then, there's another, Kai Ng (KYE ENG) of Illinois.
Coming here from Hong Kong in 1974, she learned English from her
sister and Sesame Street. // Funny: That's the same place I'm
trying to learn computer programming. //
Education traditionally has served as the ladder that
enables individual Americans to reach beyond the clouds. Every
time someone succeeds in going further, higher -- we all reap the
benefits.
Aimee Crago (eh MAY CRAY go), a Presidential Scholar from
Louisiana, has said: "I think that in order to be the person one
wants to be, one needs to have a knowledge of all the people one
could be, and education provides this knowledge. " /
It has become something of a cliche to say that knowledge is
power -- but it is. Knowledge, imagination, ambition: these form
the pillars for our future. Education can help us keep our
competitive edge and imaginative fires -- here and abroad. It
gives us the means to raise our standard of living and improve
3
the quality of our lives. It can lead us into a new Golden Age
of information, understanding, and technology.
America has no natural resource more precious than its
intellectual resources. // That is why, recently, I announced
our America 2000 Education Strategy -- a pioneering crusade to
make -- and keep -- American education number one. //
For today's students, we must make existing schools better
and more accountable. For tomorrow's students, the next
generation -- we must create a new generation of American
schools. For all of us -- for the adults who think our school
days are over -- we've got to become a Nation of students --
recognize that learning is a lifetime process. Finally, outside
our schools, we must make our communities places where learning
can occur. //
Our education strategy realizes that education can help us
practically. For over 200 years, America's genius has created
innovations like the wireless, the model T, and integrated
circuits. ((I'm reminded of the man who was asked what he would
take if his house was on fire and he could remove only one thing.
// He answered, "I would take the fire. ") ) // American
scholarship works. //
Yet education must also shape us morally -- providing the
grounding ideas and values crucial to democracy. // I have said
that in America, the definition of a successful life must include
serving others. But you cannot serve if you cannot think. You
4
cannot serve if you cannot separate good from bad, true from
false, practical from dreamy.
Just as many have labored to share their knowledge with you
-- parents, teachers, administrators, friends -- you must follow
suit. 11 Give of yourselves -- as a tutor in a prison, at a
local school, in a homeless center. You will share something far
more profound than little scraps of information. You will share
a way of looking at the world -- and at looking at yourself. //
You are today's trailblazers and leaders. What you learn
today and in years to come will help us make the 21st Century the
next American Century. It won't be easy. ( (I recall once how,
marking an examination paper shortly before Christmas, the noted
scholar William Lyon Phelps came across a note. The note read,
"God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas. " /
Phelps returned the paper with the annotation, "God gets an A.
You get an F. Happy New Year. ") )
You can't bluff your way through the future. You have to
face it squarely -- and take it on. You will encounter
obstacles, but you will overcome them. You will conquer through
resilience / scholarship / and above all, the example of your
lives. //
As you do, think of those who deserve our thanks. People
like Governor John Engler, Chairman of the White House Commission
on Presidential Scholars. / And the Commission sponsors. / And
let me salute the Commission members who chose 141 honorees from
among America's high school seniors. //
5
But also remember the teachers who inspired you -- the
friends or adults who counseled you, supported you, gave you the
confidence to achieve great things. // Kathryn Cunningham, a
Scholar from Vermont, has said, "I thank my parents for their
advice that achievements mean nothing if they don't help anyone
else." All your parents ought to be proud. While this is your
day, it's also theirs. //
To every Presidential Scholar, my heart-felt congratulations
-- and in closing, a challenge. // Let us not only move mankind
into the future. Let us better it, ennoble it. Make the best of
the special blessings bestowed upon you. God bless you, and your
wonderful families. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 246316
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
91 JUN 18 A9: 20
DATE:
06/14/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 06/17
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
(06/13 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
>
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
>
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
I
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Monday, 06/17, with a copy to this office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
OK
H
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 JUN 14 PH 3:46
(Smith/Grossman)
June 13, 1991
Draft Four
SCHOLARS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
ROSE GARDEN
Acknowledgements -- ladies and gentlemen, friends. Welcome
to the White House -- and to an event that celebrates the highest
scholastic honor a President can bestow. //
((First, I want to say there's no rule that says the person
giving this speech has to be as smart as the students receiving
the scholarships.) ) //
((I wasn't the most brilliant student in America, but then I
wasn't quite like George Burns. George once said, "Smartness
runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my
teacher was in my class for five years. ")) //
Even at 95, George Burns would salute the Presidential
Scholarship Program, now 27 years old. / Today, I would like to
discuss how education can -- and must -- help prepare America's
children to serve the nation, and the world. //
Let me begin by asking you to look at yourselves. What do
you see? You see some of our best and brightest young people.
You see living educational success stories. You see our hope for
an exciting, rich future. //
You come from every sort of background -- every race and
creed. You live in all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
2
U.S. territories, and in other lands. But as Americans, you
revere learning, achievement -- and the hope that both create.
California's Maria DeSalles (Dee-SAIZ) realizes that. She
is the first woman in her family to earn an undergraduate degree.
// So does Jonathan Sievers (Seevers) -- born on Kwajaleln in the
Marshall Islands. He is the third member of his family commended
as a Presidential scholar -- that's really remarkable. Jonathan
thanks his parents -- let me use his words -- for "making me
practice and for leaving the fish alone. " // Then, there's
another, Kai Ng (Key Ing) of Illinois. Coming here from in
-
1974, she learned English from her sister and Sesame Street. //
Funny: That's the same place I'm trying to learn computer
programming. //
Education traditionally has served as the ladder that
enables individual Americans to reach beyond the clouds. Every
time someone succeeds in going further, higher -- we all reap the
benefits.
Almee Crago (eh-may cray-go), a Presidential scholar from
Louisiana, has written: "I think that in order to be the person
one wants to be, one needs to have a knowledge of all the people
one could be, and education provides this knowledge. " /
It has become something of a cliche to say that knowledge is
power -- but it is. Knowledge, imagination, ambition: these form
the pillars for our future. Education can help us keep our
competitive edge and imaginative fires -- here and abroad. It
gives us the means to raise our standard of living and improve
3
the quality of our lives. It can lead us into a new Golden Age
of information, understanding, and technology.
America has no natural resource more precious than its
intellectual resources. // That is why, recently, I announced
our America 2000 Education Strategy -- a pioneering movement to
make -- and keep -- American education number one. //
For today's students, we must make existing schools better
and more accountable. For tomorrow's students, the next
generation -- we must create new generations of American schools.
For all of us -- for the adults who think our school days are
over -- we've got to become a Nation of scholars -- recognize
that learning is a lifetime process. Finally, outside our
schools, we must cultivate communities where learning can occur.
//
Our education strategy realizes that education can help us
practically. For over 200 years, America's genius has created
the wireless and model T and integrated circuits. ((I'm reminded
of the man who was asked what he would take if his house was on
fire and he could remove only one thing. // He answered, "I
would take the fire.")) // American scholarship works. //
Yet education must also shape us morally -- providing the
grounding ideas and values crucial to democracy. // I have said
that in America, the definition of a successful life must include
serving others. But you cannot serve if you cannot read. You
cannot serve if you cannot think. You cannot serve if you cannot
separate good from bad, true from false, practical from dreamy.
5
confidence to achieve great things. // Kathryn Cunningham, a
Scholar from Vermont, has said, "I thank my parents for their
advice that achievements mean nothing if they don't help anyone
else." All your parents ought to be proud. While this is your
day, it's also theirs. //
To every Presidential Scholar, my heart-felt congratulations
-- and in closing, a challenge. // Let us not only move mankind
into the future. Let us better it, ennoble it. Make the best of
the special blessings bestowed upon you. God bless you, and your
wonderful families. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
4
Just as many have labored to share their knowledge with you
-- parents, teachers, administrators, friends -- you must follow
suit. // Give of yourselves -- as a tutor in a prison, at a
local school, in a homeless center. You will share something far
more profound than little scraps of information. You will share
a way at looking at the world -- and at looking at oneself. //
You are today's trailblazers and leaders. What you learn
today and in years to come will help us make the 21st Century the
next American Century. It won't be easy. ((I recall once how,
marking an examination paper shortly before Christmas, the noted
scholar William Lyon Phelps came across a note. The note read,
"God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas. If /
Phelps returned the paper with the annotation, "God gets an A.
You get an F. Happy New Year."))
You can't bluff your way through the future. You have to
face it squarely -- and take it on. You will encounter
roadblocks, but you will overcome them. You will conquer through
resilience / scholarship / and above all, the example of your
lives. //
As you do, think of those who deserve our thanks. People
like , Chairman of the White House Commission on Presidential
Scholars. / And the Commission sponsors. / And let me salute
the Commissioner members who chose you 141 honorees from among
America's high-school graduates. //
But also remember the teachers who inspired you -- the
friends or adults who counseled you, supported you, gave you the
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
June 17, 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
TONY SNOW 13
FROM:
CURT SMITH is
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
On Wednesday, June 19th, at 2:30 p.m., on the South Lawn,
you will deliver brief remarks (approximately 9 minutes) at a
ceremony honoring this year's Presidential Scholars. Your speech
stresses the importance of education, highlighting the America
2000 Education Strategy. Attendees include White House
Commission on Presidential Scholars Chairman Governor Engler,
Secretary of Education Alexander, Commission members, corporate
sponsors, and Presidential Scholars.
(Smith/Grossman)
June 13, 1991
Draft Four
SCHOLARS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
SOUTH LAWN
2:30 p.m.
Governor Engler, Secretary Alexander. Members of the
Commission and corporate sponsors, ladies and gentlemen, friends.
Welcome to the White House -- and to an event that celebrates the
highest scholastic honor a President can bestow. //
( (First, I want to say there's no rule that says the person
giving this speech has to be as smart as the students receiving
the scholarships. )) //
((I wasn't the most brilliant student in America, but then I
wasn't quite like George Burns. George once said, "Smartness
runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my
teacher was in my class for five years. ") ) //
Even at 95, George Burns would salute the Presidential
Scholarship Program, now 27 years old. / Today, I would like to
discuss how education can -- and must -- help prepare America's
children to serve the nation, and the world. //
Let me begin by asking you to look at yourselves. What do
you see? You see some of our best and brightest young people.
You see living educational success stories. You see our hope for
an exciting, rich future. //
You come from every sort of background -- every race and
creed. You live in all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
2
Puerto Rico, and in other lands. But as Americans, you revere
learning, achievement -- and the hope that both create.
California's Marisa DeSalles (Dee SALZ) realizes that. She
expects to be the first woman in her family to earn an
undergraduate degree. // So does Jonathan Sievers (SEE vers) -
born on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. He is the third
sibling in his family commended as a Presidential Scholar --
that's really remarkable. Jonathan thanks his parents -- let me
use his words -- for "making me practice and for leaving the fish
alone. // Then, there's another, Kai Ng (KYE ENG) of Illinois.
Coming here from Hong Kong in 1974, she learned English from her
sister and Sesame Street. // Funny: That's the same place I'm
trying to learn computer programming. //
Education traditionally has served as the ladder that
enables individual Americans to reach beyond the clouds. Every
time someone succeeds in going further, higher -- we all reap the
benefits.
Aimee Crago (eh MAY CRAY go), a Presidential Scholar from
Louisiana, has said: "I think that in order to be the person one
wants to be, one needs to have a knowledge of all the people one
could be, and education provides this knowledge." /
It has become something of a cliche to say that knowledge is
power -- but it is. Knowledge, imagination, ambition: these form
the pillars for our future. Education can help us keep our
competitive edge and imaginative fires -- here and abroad. It
gives us the means to raise our standard of living and improve
3
the quality of our lives. It can lead us into a new Golden Age
of information, understanding, and technology.
America has no natural resource more precious than its
intellectual resources. // That is why, recently, I announced
our America 2000 Education Strategy -- a pioneering crusade to
make -- and keep -- American education number one. //
For today's students, we must make existing schools better
and more accountable. For tomorrow's students, the next
generation -- we must create a new generation of American
schools. For all of us -- for the adults who think our school
days are over -- we've got to become a Nation of students --
recognize that learning is a lifetime process. Finally, outside
our schools, we must make our communities places where learning
can occur. //
Our education strategy realizes that education can help us
practically. For over 200 years, America's genius has created
innovations like the wireless, the model T, and integrated
circuits. ((I'm reminded of the man who was asked what he would
take if his house was on fire and he could remove only one thing.
// He answered, "I would take the fire. ")) // American
scholarship works. //
Yet education must also shape us morally -- providing the
grounding ideas and values crucial to democracy. // I have said
that in America, the definition of a successful life must include
serving others. But you cannot serve if you cannot think. You
4
cannot serve if you cannot separate good from bad, true from
false, practical from dreamy.
Just as many have labored to share their knowledge with you
-- parents, teachers, administrators, friends -- you must follow
suit. // Give of yourselves -- as a tutor in a prison, at a
local school, in a homeless center. You will share something far
more profound than little scraps of information. You will share
a way of looking at the world -- and at looking at yourself. //
You are today's trailblazers and leaders. What you learn
today and in years to come will help us make the 21st Century the
next American Century. It won't be easy. ( (I recall once how,
marking an examination paper shortly before Christmas, the noted
scholar William Lyon Phelps came across a note. The note read,
"God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas." "
/
Phelps returned the paper with the annotation, "God gets an A.
You get an F. Happy New Year. )
You can't bluff your way through the future. You have to
face it squarely -- and take it on. You will encounter
obstacles, but you will overcome them. You will conquer through
resilience / scholarship / and above all, the example of your
lives. //
As you do, think of those who deserve our thanks. People
like Governor John Engler, Chairman of the White House Commission
on Presidential Scholars. / And the Commission sponsors. / And
let me salute the Commission members who chose 141 honorees from
among America's high school seniors. 11
5
But also remember the teachers who inspired you -- the
friends or adults who counseled you, supported you, gave you the
confidence to achieve great things./ / Kathryn Cunningham, a
Scholar from Vermont, has said, "I thank my parents for their
advice that achievements mean nothing if they don't help anyone
else." All your parents ought to be proud. While this is your
day, it's also theirs. //
To every Presidential Scholar, my heart-felt congratulations
-- and in closing, a challenge. // Let us not only move mankind
into the future. Let us better it, ennoble it. Make the best of
the special blessings bestowed upon you. God bless you, and your
wonderful families. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
Master
(Smith/Grossman)
June 13, 1991
Draft Four
SCHOLARS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
SOUTH LAWN
Governor Engler, Secretary Alexander. Members of the
Commission and corporate sponsors, ladies and gentlemen, friends.
Welcome to the White House -- and to an event that celebrates the
highest scholastic honor a President can bestow. //
((First, I want to say there's no rule that says the person
giving this speech has to be as smart as the students receiving
the scholarships.) //
( (I wasn't the most brilliant student in America, but then I
wasn't quite like George Burns. George once said, "Smartness
runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my
teacher was in my class for five years. ") ) //
Even at 95, George Burns would salute the Presidential
Scholarship Program, now 27 years old. / Today, I would like to
discuss how education can -- -- and must -- help prepare America's
children to serve the nation, and the world. //
Let me begin by asking you to look at yourselves. What do
first
Poner
you see? You see some of our best and brightest young people.
You see living educational success stories. You see our hope for
Park
1
an exciting, rich future. //
You come from every sort of background -- every race and
creed. You live in all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
2
Puerto Rico, and in other lands. But as Americans, you revere
learning, achievement -- and the hope that both create.
California's Marisa DeSalles (Dee SALZ) realizes that. She
Porter
expects to be the first woman in her family to earn an
X
undergraduate degree. // So does Jonathan Sievers (SEE vers) --
born on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. He is the third
sibling in his family commended as a Presidential Scholar --
that's really remarkable. Jonathan thanks his parents -- let me
use his words -- for "making me practice and for leaving the fish
alone. " // Then, there's another, Kai Ng (KYE ENG) of Illinois.
Coming here from Hong Kong in 1974, she learned English from her
sister and Sesame Street. // Funny: That's the same place I'm
trying to learn computer programming. / /
Education traditionally has served as the ladder that
enables individual Americans to reach beyond the clouds. Every
time someone succeeds in going further, higher -- we all reap the
benefits.
Aimee Crago (eh MAY CRAY go), a Presidential Scholar from
Louisiana, has said: "I think that in order to be the person one
wants to be, one needs to have a knowledge of all the people one
could be, and education provides this knowledge." /
It has become something of a cliche to say that knowledge is
power -- but it is. Knowledge, imagination, ambition: these form
the pillars for our future. Education can help us keep our
competitive edge and imaginative fires -- here and abroad. It
gives us the means to raise our standard of living and improve
3
the quality of our lives. It can lead us into a new Golden Age
of information, understanding, and technology.
America has no natural resource more precious than its
intellectual resources. // That is why, recently, I announced
crusade
Smith
our America 2000 Education Strategy -- a pioneering movement to
x
make -- and keep -- American education number one. //
For today's students, we must make existing schools better
and more accountable. For tomorrow's students, the next
Smith
(9)
x
generation -- we must create new generations of American schools.
For all of us -- for the adults who think our school days are
students
Pone
X
over -- we've got to become a Nation of scholars -- recognize
Smill
Pake that learning is a lifetime process. (places) Finally, outside our
,make 041-
schools, we must cultivate communities where learning can occur.
X
//
Our education strategy realizes that education can help us
Pour X practically. For over 200 years, America's genius has created innovations like
the
Pover x the wireless, and model T, and integrated circuits. ((I'm reminded
of the man who was asked what he would take if his house was on
fire and he could remove only one thing. // He answered, "I
would take the fire. ")) // American scholarship works. //
Yet education must also shape us morally -- providing the
grounding ideas and values crucial to democracy. // I have said
that in America, the definition of a successful life must include
But
Porter serving others. But you cannot serve if you cannot read. You
X
cannot serve if you cannot think. You cannot serve if you cannot
separate good from bad, true from false, practical from dreamy.
4
Just as many have labored to share their knowledge with you
-- parents, teachers, administrators, friends -- you must follow
suit. // Give of yourselves -- as a tutor in a prison, at a
local school, in a homeless center. You will share something far
Smith more profound than little scraps of information. You will share
X
yourself
a way at looking at the world -- and at looking at oneself. //
You are today's trailblazers and leaders. What you learn
today and in years to come will help us make the 21st Century the
next American Century. It won't be easy. ( (I recall once how,
marking an examination paper shortly before Christmas, the noted
Porter
scholar William Lyon Phelps came across a note. The note read,
"God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas. " /
Phelps returned the paper with the annotation, "God gets an A.
You get an F. Happy New Year. )
You can't bluff your way through the future. You have to
face it squarely -- and take it on. You will encounter
Pore
obstacles
X
roadblocks, but you will overcome them. You will conquer through
resilience / scholarship / and above all, the example of your
lives. //
Smith
x
As you (30hn) do, think of those who deserve our thanks. People
like Governor Engler, Chairman of the White House Commission on
Presidential Scholars. / And the Commission sponsors. / And let
Pove
me salute the Commission members who chose 141 honorees from
X
among America's high school seniors. //
But also remember the teachers who inspired you -- the
friends or adults who counseled you, supported you, gave you the
5
confidence to achieve great things. // Kathryn Cunningham, a
Scholar from Vermont, has said, "I thank my parents for their
advice that achievements mean nothing if they don't help anyone
else." All your parents ought to be proud. While this is your
day, it's also theirs. //
To every Presidential Scholar, my heart-felt congratulations
-- and in closing, a challenge. // Let us not only move mankind
into the future. Let us better it, ennoble it. Make the best of
the special blessings bestowed upon you. God bless you, and your
wonderful families. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
91 JUN 17 P6: On
June 17, 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR TONY SNOW
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER RBP
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: Presidential Scholars
Event
We have reviewed the attached remarks and noted several
suggested changes on the draft.
Please let us know if we can help in any other way.
CC: Phillip D. Brady
Document
No. 246316
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
06/14/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 06/17
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
(06/13 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Monday, 06/17, with a copy to this office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 JUN 14 PM 3:45
(Smith/Grossman)
June 13, 1991
Draft Four
SCHOLARS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
ROSE GARDEN
Acknowledgements -- ladies and gentlemen, friends. Welcome
to the White House -- and to an event that celebrates the highest
scholastic honor a President can bestow.) //
((First, I want to say there's no rule that says the person
giving this speech has to be as smart as the students receiving
the scholarships.) ) //
( (I wasn't the most brilliant student in America, but then I
wasn't quite like George Burns. George once said, "Smartness
runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my
teacher was in my class for five years. ") ) //
Even at 95, George Burns would salute the Presidential
Scholarship Program, now 27 years old. / Today, I would like to
discuss how education can -- and must -- help prepare America's
children to serve the nation, and the world. //
Let me begin by asking you to look at yourselves. What do
HALBOSTAM DAVID
you see? You see some of our best finest and brightest young people.
You see living educational success stories. You see our hope for
PROSPEROUS
an exciting, rich future. //
You come from every sort of background -- every race and
creed. You live in all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
2
U.S. territories, and in other lands. But as Americans, you
revere learning, achievement -- and the hope that both create.
California's Maria DeSalles (Dee-SAIZ) realizes that. She I though
these over
is the first woman in her family to earn an undergraduate degree.
high
// So does Jonathan Sievers (Seevers) -- born on Kwajaleln in the School
Student
Marshall Islands. He is the third member of his family commended
as a Presidential scholar -- that's really remarkable. Jonathan
thanks his parents -- let me use his words -- for "making me
practice and for leaving the fish alone.' // Then, there's
another, Kai Ng (Key Ing) of Illinois. Coming here from in
I
1974, she learned English from her sister and Sesame Street. //
Funny: That's the same place I'm trying to learn computer
programming. / /
Education traditionally has served as the ladder that
enables individual Americans to reach beyond the clouds. Every
time someone succeeds in going further, higher -- we all reap the
benefits.
Almee Crago (eh-may cray-go), a Presidential scholar from
Louisiana, has written: "I think that in order to be the person
one wants to be, one needs to have a knowledge of all the people
one could be, and education provides this knowledge. " /
It has become something of a cliche to say that knowledge is
power -- but it is. Knowledge, imagination, ambition: these form
the pillars for our future. Education can help us keep our
competitive edge and imaginative fires -- here and abroad. It
gives us the means to raise our standard of living and improve
3
the quality of our lives. It can lead us into a new Golden Age
of information, understanding, and technology.
America has no natural resource more precious than its
intellectual resources. // That is why, recently, I announced
our America 2000 Education Strategy -- a pioneering CRUSADE movement & to
make -- and keep -- American education number one. //
For today's students, we must make existing schools better
and more accountable. For tomorrow's students, the next
generation -- we must create new generations of American schools.
For all of us -- for the adults who think our school days are
students
over -- we've got to become a Nation of scholars -- recognize
that learning is a lifetime -long process. Finally, outside our
schools, we must cultivate communities where learning can happen. occur.
//
Our education strategy realizes that education can help us
practically. For over 200 years, America's genius has created
innovations like the
the wireless, and model T, and integrated circuits. ((I'm reminded
of the man who was asked what he would take if his house was on
fire and he could remove only one thing. // He answered, "I
would take the fire. ")) // American scholarship works. //
Yet education must also shape us morally -- providing the
grounding ideas and values crucial to democracy. // I have said
that in America, the definition of a successful life must include
But
serving others. But you cannot serve if you cannot read
You
cannot serve if you cannot think. You cannot serve if you cannot
separate good from bad, true from false, practical from dreamy.
4
Just as many have labored to share their knowledge with you
-- parents, teachers, administrators, friends -- you must follow
suit. // Give of yourselves -- as a tutor in a prison, at a
local school, in a homeless center. You will share something far
more profound than little scraps of information. You will share
a way at looking at the world -- and at looking at oneself. //
You are today's trailblazers and leaders. What you learn
today and in years to come will help us make the 21st Century the
next American Century. It won't be easy. ((I recall once how,
marking an examination paper shortly before Christmas, the noted
scholar William Lyon Phelps came across a note. The note read,
"God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas. /
Phelps returned the paper with the annotation, "God gets an A.
You get an F. Happy New Year."))
You can't bluff your way through the future. You have to
face it squarely -- and take it on. You will encounter
obstacles
roadblocks, but you will overcome them. You will conquer through
resilience / scholarship / and above all, the example of your
lives. //
As you do, think of those who deserve our thanks. People
like / Chairman of the White House Commission on Presidential
Scholars. / And the Commission sponsors. / And let me salute
the Commissioner I members who chose you 141 honorees from among
America's high-school graduates. //
.
But also remember the teachers who inspired you -- the
friends or adults who counseled you, supported you, gave you the
5
confidence to achieve great things. // Kathryn Cunningham, a
Scholar from Vermont, has said, "I thank my parents for their
advice that achievements mean nothing if they don't help anyone
else." All your parents ought to be proud. While this is your
day, it's also theirs. //
To every Presidential Scholar, my heart-felt congratulations
-- and in closing, a challenge. // Let us not only move mankind
into the future. Let us better it, ennoble it. Make the best of
the special blessings bestowed upon you. God bless you, and your
wonderful families. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 246316
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING 91 MEMORANDUM
P12: P12:19
DATE:
06/14/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 06/17
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
(06/13 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Monday, 06/17, with a copy to this office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
see comments. Thanks,
Holly Williamoon
6-17-91
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 JUN 14 PM 3:46
(Smith/Grossman)
June 13, 1991
Draft Four
SCHOLARS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
ROSE GARDEN
Acknowledgements -- ladies and gentlemen, friends. Welcome
to the White House -- and to an event that celebrates the highest
scholastic honor a President can bestow. //
((First, I want to say there's no rule that says the person
giving this speech has to be as smart as the students receiving
the scholarships.) ) //
( (I wasn't the most brilliant student in America, but then I
wasn't quite like George Burns. George once said, "Smartness
runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my
teacher was in my class for five years. ) //
Even at 95, George Burns would salute the Presidential
Scholarship Program, now 27 years old. / Today, I would like to
discuss how education can -- and must -- help prepare America's
children to serve the nation, and the world. //
Let me begin by asking you to look at yourselves. What do
you see? You see some of our best and brightest young people.
You see living educational success stories. You see our hope for
an exciting, rich future. //
You come from every sort of background -- every race and
creed. You live in all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
2
U.S. territories, and in other lands. But as Americans, you
revere learning, achievement -- and the hope that both create.
California's Maria DeSalles (Dee-SAIZ) realizes that. She
is the first woman in her family to earn an undergraduate degree.
// So does Jonathan Sievers (Seevers) -- born on Kwajaleln in the
Marshall Islands. He is the third member of his family commended
as a Presidential scholar -- that's really remarkable. Jonathan
thanks his parents -- let me use his words -- for "making me
practice and for leaving the fish alone. " // Then, there's
another, Kai Ng (Key Ing) of Illinois. Coming here from in
I
1974, she learned English from her sister and Sesame Street. //
Funny: That's the same place I'm trying to learn computer
programming. / /
Education traditionally has served as the ladder that
enables individual Americans to reach beyond the clouds. Every
time someone succeeds in going further, higher -- we all reap the
benefits.
Almee Crago (eh-may cray-go), a Presidential scholar from
Louisiana, has written: "I think that in order to be the person
one wants to be, one needs to have a knowledge of all the people
one could be, and education provides this knowledge. " /
It has become something of a cliche to say that knowledge is
power -- but it is. Knowledge, imagination, ambition: these form
the pillars for our future. Education can help us keep our
competitive edge and imaginative fires -- here and abroad. It
gives us the means to raise our standard of living and improve
3
the quality of our lives. It can lead us into a new Golden Age
of information, understanding, and technology.
America has no natural resource more precious than its
intellectual resources. // That is why, recently, I announced
a national crusade
(DOEd)
our America 2000 Education Strategy Ла pioneering movement to CNN
make -- and keep -- American education number one. //
today
used
For today's students, we must make existing schools better
that
phrase
and more accountable. For tomorrow's students, the next
re:
coced)
the
generation -- we must create/new a generations of American schools. Colaudo
tip.
For all of us -- for the adults who think our school days are
over -- we've got to become a Nation of scholars -- recognize
that learning is a lifetime process. Finally, outside our
(POED)
schools, we must^ cultivate communities, places where learning can occur.
made our
make it stranger.
//
Our education strategy realizes that education can help us
practically. For over 200 years, America's genius has created
the wireless and model T and integrated circuits. ((I'm reminded
of the man who was asked what he would take if his house was on
fire and he could remove only one thing. // He answered, "I
would take the fire. ) // American scholarship works. //
Yet education must also shape us morally -- providing the
grounding ideas and values crucial to democracy. // I have said
that in America, the definition of a successful life must include
serving others. But you cannot serve if you cannot read. You
cannot serve if you cannot think. You cannot serve if you cannot
separate good from bad, true from false, practical from dreamy.
4
Just as many have labored to share their knowledge with you
-- parents, teachers, administrators, friends -- you must follow
suit. // Give of yourselves -- as a tutor in a prison, at a
local school, in a homeless center. You will share something far
more profound than little scraps of information. You will share
a way at looking at the world -- and at looking at oneself yourself
(POEd)
You are today's trailblazers and leaders. What you learn
today and in years to come will help us make the 21st Century the
next American Century. It won't be easy. ((I recall once how,
marking an examination paper shortly before Christmas, the noted
scholar William Lyon Phelps came across a note. The note read,
"God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas." /
Phelps returned the paper with the annotation, "God gets an A.
You get an F. Happy New Year."))
You can't bluff your way through the future. You have to
face it squarely -- and take it on. You will encounter
roadblocks, but you will overcome them. You will conquer through
resilience / scholarship / and above all, the example of your
lives. / /
(OCA)
As you do, think of those who deserve our thanks. People
Gov.
like I Chairman of the White House Commission on Presidential
John Engler
Scholars. / And the Commission sponsors. / And let me salute
the Commissioner members who chose you 141 honorees from among
America's high-school graduates. //
But also remember the teachers who inspired you -- the
friends or adults who counseled you, supported you, gave you the
5
confidence to achieve great things. // Kathryn Cunningham, a
Scholar from Vermont, has said, "I thank my parents for their
advice that achievements mean nothing if they don't help anyone
else." All your parents ought to be proud. While this is your
day, it's also theirs. //
To every Presidential Scholar, my heart-felt congratulations
-- and in closing, a challenge. // Let us not only move mankind
into the future. Let us better it, ennoble it. Make the best of
the special blessings bestowed upon you. God bless you, and your
wonderful families. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 246316
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
06/14/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 06/17
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
(06/13 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
>
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH N/C
>
BRADY
>
SMITH N/C
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Monday, 06/17, with a copy to this office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 JUN 14 PM 3:46
(Smith/Grossman)
June 13, 1991
Draft Four
SCHOLARS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
ROSE GARDEN
Acknowledgements -- ladies and gentlemen, friends. Welcome
to the White House -- and to an event that celebrates the highest
scholastic honor a President can bestow. //
((First, I want to say there's no rule that says the person
giving this speech has to be as smart as the students receiving
the scholarships. )) //
((I wasn't the most brilliant student in America, but then I
wasn't quite like George Burns. George once said, "Smartness
runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my
teacher was in my class for five years.") ) //
Even at 95, George Burns would salute the Presidential
Scholarship Program, now 27 years old. / Today, I would like to
discuss how education can -- and must -- help prepare America's
children to serve the nation, and the world. //
Let me begin by asking you to look at yourselves. What do
you see? You see some of our best and brightest young people.
You see living educational success stories. You see our hope for
an exciting, rich future. //
You come from every sort of background -- every race and
creed. You live in all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
2
U.S. territories, and in other lands. But as Americans, you
revere learning, achievement -- and the hope that both create.
California's Maria DeSalles (Dee-SAIZ) realizes that. She
is the first woman in her family to earn an undergraduate degree.
// So does Jonathan Sievers (Seevers) -- born on Kwajaleln in the
Marshall Islands. He is the third member of his family commended
as a Presidential scholar -- that's really remarkable. Jonathan
thanks his parents -- let me use his words -- for "making me
practice and for leaving the fish alone. // Then, there's
another, Kai Ng (Key Ing) of Illinois. Coming here from in
-
1974, she learned English from her sister and Sesame Street. //
Funny: That's the same place I'm trying to learn computer
programming. / /
Education traditionally has served as the ladder that
enables individual Americans to reach beyond the clouds. Every
time someone succeeds in going further, higher -- we all reap the
benefits.
Almee Crago (eh-may cray-go), a Presidential scholar from
Louisiana, has written: "I think that in order to be the person
one wants to be, one needs to have a knowledge of all the people
one could be, and education provides this knowledge." /
It has become something of a cliche to say that knowledge is
power -- but it is. Knowledge, imagination, ambition: these form
the pillars for our future. Education can help us keep our
competitive edge and imaginative fires -- here and abroad. It
gives us the means to raise our standard of living and improve
3
the quality of our lives. It can lead us into a new Golden Age
of information, understanding, and technology.
America has no natural resource more precious than its
intellectual resources. // That is why, recently, I announced
our America 2000 Education Strategy -- a pioneering movement to
make -- and keep -- American education number one. //
For today's students, we must make existing schools better
and more accountable. For tomorrow's students, the next
generation -- we must create new generations of American schools.
For all of us -- for the adults who think our school days are
over -- we've got to become a Nation of scholars -- recognize
that learning is a lifetime process. Finally, outside our
schools, we must cultivate communities where learning can occur.
//
Our education strategy realizes that education can help us
practically. For over 200 years, America's genius has created
the wireless and model T and integrated circuits. ((I'm reminded
of the man who was asked what he would take if his house was on
fire and he could remove only one thing. // He answered, "I
would take the fire.")) // American scholarship works. //
Yet education must also shape us morally -- providing the
grounding ideas and values crucial to democracy. // I have said
that in America, the definition of a successful life must include
serving others. But you cannot serve if you cannot read. You
cannot serve if you cannot think. You cannot serve if you cannot
separate good from bad, true from false, practical from dreamy.
5
confidence to achieve great things. // Kathryn Cunningham, a
Scholar from Vermont, has said, "I thank my parents for their
advice that achievements mean nothing if they don't help anyone
else." All your parents ought to be proud. While this is your
day, it's also theirs. //
To every Presidential Scholar, my heart-felt congratulations
--- and in closing, a challenge. // Let us not only move mankind
into the future. Let us better it, ennoble it. Make the best of
the special blessings bestowed upon you. God bless you, and your
wonderful families. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
4
Just as many have labored to share their knowledge with you
-- parents, teachers, administrators, friends -- you must follow
suit. // Give of yourselves -- as a tutor in a prison, at a
local school, in a homeless center. You will share something far
more profound than little scraps of information. You will share
a way at looking at the world -- and at looking at oneself. //
You are today's trailblazers and leaders. What you learn
today and in years to come will help us make the 21st Century the
next American Century. It won't be easy. ((I recall once how,
marking an examination paper shortly before Christmas, the noted
scholar William Lyon Phelps came across a note. The note read,
"God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas. /
Phelps returned the paper with the annotation, "God gets an A.
You get an F. Happy New Year.
You can't bluff your way through the future. You have to
face it squarely -- and take it on. You will encounter
roadblocks, but you will overcome them. You will conquer through
resilience / scholarship / and above all, the example of your
lives. //
As you do, think of those who deserve our thanks. People
like , Chairman of the White House Commission on Presidential
Scholars. / And the Commission sponsors. / And let me salute
the Commissioner members who chose you 141 honorees from among
America's high-school graduates. //
#
But also remember the teachers who inspired you -- the
friends or adults who counseled you, supported you, gave you the
Document No. 246316
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
06/14/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 06/17
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
(06/13 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
>
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
>
DEMAREST
SNOW
I
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Monday, 06/17, with a copy to this office. Thanks.
RESPONSE: no comment
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 JUN 14 PM 3:46
(Smith/Grossman)
June 13, 1991
Draft Four
SCHOLARS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
ROSE GARDEN
Acknowledgements -- ladies and gentlemen, friends. Welcome
to the White House -- and to an event that celebrates the highest
scholastic honor a President can bestow. //
((First, I want to say there's no rule that says the person
giving this speech has to be as smart as the students receiving
the scholarships.) //
((I wasn't the most brilliant student in America, but then I
wasn't quite like George Burns. George once said, "Smartness
runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my
teacher was in my class for five years. ") ) //
Even at 95, George Burns would salute the Presidential
Scholarship Program, now 27 years old. / Today, I would like to
discuss how education can -- and must -- help prepare America's
children to serve the nation, and the world. //
Let me begin by asking you to look at yourselves. What do
you see? You see some of our best and brightest young people.
You see living educational success stories. You see our hope for
an exciting, rich future. //
You come from every sort of background -- every race and
creed. You live in all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
2
U.S. territories, and in other lands. But as Americans, you
revere learning, achievement -- and the hope that both create.
California's Maria DeSalles (Dee-SAIZ) realizes that. She
is the first woman in her family to earn an undergraduate degree.
// So does Jonathan Sievers (Seevers) -- born on Kwajaleln in the
Marshall Islands. He is the third member of his family commended
as a Presidential scholar -- that's really remarkable. Jonathan
thanks his parents -- let me use his words -- for "making me
practice and for leaving the fish alone. // Then, there's
another, Kai Ng (Key Ing) of Illinois. Coming here from in
-
1974, she learned English from her sister and Sesame Street. //
Funny: That's the same place I'm trying to learn computer
programming. //
Education traditionally has served as the ladder that
enables individual Americans to reach beyond the clouds. Every
time someone succeeds in going further, higher -- we all reap the
benefits.
Almee Crago (eh-may cray-go), a Presidential scholar from
Louisiana, has written: "I think that in order to be the person
one wants to be, one needs to have a knowledge of all the people
one could be, and education provides this knowledge." " /
It has become something of a cliche to say that knowledge is
power -- but it is. Knowledge, imagination, ambition: these form
the pillars for our future. Education can help us keep our
competitive edge and imaginative fires -- here and abroad. It
gives us the means to raise our standard of living and improve
3
the quality of our lives. It can lead us into a new Golden Age
of information, understanding, and technology.
America has no natural resource more precious than its
intellectual resources. // That is why, recently, I announced
our America 2000 Education Strategy -- a pioneering movement to
make -- and keep -- American education number one. //
For today's students, we must make existing schools better
and more accountable. For tomorrow's students, the next
generation -- we must create new generations of American schools.
For all of us -- for the adults who think our school days are
over -- we've got to become a Nation of scholars -- recognize
that learning is a lifetime process. Finally, outside our
schools, we must cultivate communities where learning can occur.
//
Our education strategy realizes that education can help us
practically. For over 200 years, America's genius has created
the wireless and model T and integrated circuits. ((I'm reminded
of the man who was asked what he would take if his house was on
fire and he could remove only one thing. // He answered, "I
would take the fire. ) // American scholarship works. //
Yet education must also shape us morally -- providing the
grounding ideas and values crucial to democracy. // I have said
that in America, the definition of a successful life must include
serving others. But you cannot serve if you cannot read. You
cannot serve if you cannot think. You cannot serve if you cannot
separate good from bad, true from false, practical from dreamy.
4
Just as many have labored to share their knowledge with you
-- parents, teachers, administrators, friends -- you must follow
suit. // Give of yourselves -- as a tutor in a prison, at a
local school, in a homeless center. You will share something far
more profound than little scraps of information. You will share
a way at looking at the world -- and at looking at oneself. //
You are today's trailblazers and leaders. What you learn
today and in years to come will help us make the 21st Century the
next American Century. It won't be easy. ((I recall once how,
marking an examination paper shortly before Christmas, the noted
scholar William Lyon Phelps came across a note. The note read,
"God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas. /
Phelps returned the paper with the annotation, "God gets an A.
You get an F. Happy New Year. )
You can't bluff your way through the future. You have to
face it squarely -- and take it on. You will encounter
roadblocks, but you will overcome them. You will conquer through
resilience / scholarship / and above all, the example of your
lives. / /
As you do, think of those who deserve our thanks. People
like , Chairman of the White House Commission on Presidential
Scholars. / And the Commission sponsors. / And let me salute
the Commissioner members who chose you 141 honorees from among
America's high-school graduates. //
But also remember the teachers who inspired you -- the
friends or adults who counseled you, supported you, gave you the
5
confidence to achieve great things. // Kathryn Cunningham, a
Scholar from Vermont, has said, "I thank my parents for their
advice that achievements mean nothing if they don't help anyone
else." All your parents ought to be proud. While this is your
day, it's also theirs. //
To every Presidential Scholar, my heart-felt congratulations
-- and in closing, a challenge. // Let us not only move mankind
into the future. Let us better it, ennoble it. Make the best of
the special blessings bestowed upon you. God bless you, and your
wonderful families. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 246316
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
91 JUN 17 P2: 40
DATE:
06/14/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 06/17
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
(06/13 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
>
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
>
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
R
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
\
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Monday, 06/17, with a copy to this office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
Ships
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 JUN 14 PM 3: 46
(Smith/Grossman)
June 13, 1991
Draft Four
SCHOLARS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
ROSE GARDEN
Acknowledgements -- ladies and gentlemen, friends. Welcome
to the White House -- and to an event that celebrates the highest
scholastic honor a President can bestow. //
( (First, I want to say there's no rule that says the person
giving this speech has to be as smart as the students receiving
the scholarships. )) //
((I wasn't the most brilliant student in America, but then I
wasn't quite like George Burns. George once said, "Smartness
runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my
teacher was in my class for five years.") ) //
Even at 95, George Burns would salute the Presidential
Scholarship Program, now 27 years old. / Today, I would like to
discuss how education can -- and must -- help prepare America's
children to serve the nation, and the world. //
Let me begin by asking you to look at yourselves. What do
you see? You see some of our best and brightest young people.
You see living educational success stories. You see our hope for
an exciting, rich future. //
You come from every sort of background -- every race and
creed. You live in all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
2
U.S. territories, and in other lands. But as Americans, you
revere learning, achievement -- and the hope that both create.
California's Maria DeSalles (Dee-SAIZ) realizes that. She
is the first woman in her family to earn an undergraduate degree.
// So does Jonathan Sievers (Seevers) -- born on Kwajaleln in the
Marshall Islands. He is the third member of his family commended
as a Presidential scholar -- that's really remarkable. Jonathan
thanks his parents -- let me use his words -- for "making me
practice and for leaving the fish alone. " // Then, there's
another, Kai Ng (Key Ing) of Illinois. Coming here from in
I
1974, she learned English from her sister and Sesame Street. //
Funny: That's the same place I'm trying to learn computer
programming. / /
Education traditionally has served as the ladder that
enables individual Americans to reach beyond the clouds. Every
time someone succeeds in going further, higher -- we all reap the
benefits.
Almee Crago (eh-may cray-go), a Presidential scholar from
Louisiana, has written: "I think that in order to be the person
one wants to be, one needs to have a knowledge of all the people
one could be, and education provides this knowledge. " /
It has become something of a cliche to say that knowledge is
power -- but it is. Knowledge, imagination, ambition: these form
the pillars for our future. Education can help us keep our
competitive edge and imaginative fires -- here and abroad. It
gives us the means to raise our standard of living and improve
3
the quality of our lives. It can lead us into a new Golden Age
of information, understanding, and technology.
America has no natural resource more precious than its
intellectual resources. // That is why, recently, I announced
our America 2000 Education Strategy -- a pioneering movement to
make -- and keep -- American education number one. //
For today's students, we must make existing schools better
and more accountable. For tomorrow's students, the next
generation -- we must create new generations of American schools.
For all of us -- for the adults who think our school days are
over -- we've got to become a Nation of scholars -- recognize
that learning is a lifetime process. Finally, outside our
schools, we must cultivate communities where learning can occur.
//
Our education strategy realizes that education can help us
practically. For over 200 years, America's genius has created
the wireless and model T and integrated circuits. ((I'm reminded
of the man who was asked what he would take if his house was on
fire and he could remove only one thing. // He answered, "I
would take the fire. ) // American scholarship works. //
Yet education must also shape us morally -- providing the
grounding ideas and values crucial to democracy. // I have said
that in America, the definition of a successful life must include
serving others. But you cannot serve if you cannot read. You
cannot serve if you cannot think. You cannot serve if you cannot
separate good from bad, true from false, practical from dreamy.
5
confidence to achieve great things. // Kathryn Cunningham, a
Scholar from Vermont, has said, "I thank my parents for their
advice that achievements mean nothing if they don't help anyone
else." All your parents ought to be proud. While this is your
day, it's also theirs. //
To every Presidential Scholar, my heart-felt congratulations
-- and in closing, a challenge. // Let us not only move mankind
into the future. Let us better it, ennoble it. Make the best of
the special blessings bestowed upon you. God bless you, and your
wonderful families. And God bless the United States of America.
# # # #
4
Just as many have labored to share their knowledge with you
-- parents, teachers, administrators, friends -- you must follow
suit. // Give of yourselves -- as a tutor in a prison, at a
local school, in a homeless center. You will share something far
more profound than little scraps of information. You will share
a way at looking at the world -- and at looking at oneself. //
You are today's trailblazers and leaders. What you learn
today and in years to come will help us make the 21st Century the
next American Century. It won't be easy. ((I recall once how,
marking an examination paper shortly before Christmas, the noted
scholar William Lyon Phelps came across a note. The note read,
"God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas. /
Phelps returned the paper with the annotation, "God gets an A.
You get an F. Happy New Year. "))
You can't bluff your way through the future. You have to
face it squarely -- and take it on. You will encounter
roadblocks, but you will overcome them. You will conquer through
resilience / scholarship / and above all, the example of your
lives. //
As you do, think of those who deserve our thanks. People
like , Chairman of the White House Commission on Presidential
Scholars. / And the Commission sponsors. / And let me salute
the Commissioner members who chose you 141 honorees from among
America's high-school graduates. //
But also remember the teachers who inspired you -- the
friends or adults who counseled you, supported you, gave you the
STAFFED
6/14 4pm
(Smith/Grossman)
June 13, 1991
Draft Four
SCHOLARS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
ROSE GARDEN
Acknowledgements -- ladies and gentlemen, friends. Welcome
to the White House -- and to an event that celebrates the highest
scholastic honor a President can bestow. //
((First, I want to say there's no rule that says the person
giving this speech has to be as smart as the students receiving
the scholarships.) //
((I wasn't the most brilliant student in America, but then I
wasn't quite like George Burns. George once said, "Smartness
runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my
teacher was in my class for five years. ) //
Even at 95, George Burns would salute the Presidential
Scholarship Program, now 27 years old. / Today, I would like to
discuss how education can -- and must -- help prepare America's
children to serve the nation, and the world. //
Let me begin by asking you to look at yourselves. What do
you see? You see some of our best and brightest young people.
You see living educational success stories. You see our hope for
an exciting, rich future. //
You come from every sort of background -- every race and
creed. You live in all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
2
U.S. territories, and in other lands. But as Americans, you
revere learning, achievement -- and the hope that both create.
California's Maria DeSalles (Dee-SAIZ) realizes that. She
is the first woman in her family to earn an undergraduate degree.
// So does Jonathan Sievers (Seevers) -- born on Kwajaleln in the
Marshall Islands. He is the third member of his family commended
as a Presidential scholar -- that's really remarkable. Jonathan
thanks his parents -- let me use his words -- for "making me
practice and for leaving the fish alone. " // Then, there's
another, Kai Ng (Key Ing) of Illinois. Coming here from in
-
1974, she learned English from her sister and Sesame Street. //
Funny: That's the same place I'm trying to learn computer
programming. / /
Education traditionally has served as the ladder that
enables individual Americans to reach beyond the clouds. Every
time someone succeeds in going further, higher -- we all reap the
benefits.
Almee Crago (eh-may cray-go), a Presidential scholar from
Louisiana, has written: "I think that in order to be the person
one wants to be, one needs to have a knowledge of all the people
one could be, and education provides this knowledge. " /
It has become something of a cliche to say that knowledge is
power -- but it is. Knowledge, imagination, ambition: these form
the pillars for our future. Education can help us keep our
competitive edge and imaginative fires -- here and abroad. It
gives us the means to raise our standard of living and improve
3
the quality of our lives. It can lead us into a new Golden Age
of information, understanding, and technology.
America has no natural resource more precious than its
intellectual resources. // That is why, recently, I announced
our America 2000 Education Strategy -- a pioneering movement to
make -- and keep -- American education number one. //
For today's students, we must make existing schools better
and more accountable. For tomorrow's students, the next
generation -- we must create new generations of American schools.
For all of us -- for the adults who think our school days are
over -- we've got to become a Nation of scholars -- recognize
that learning is a lifetime process. Finally, outside our
schools, we must cultivate communities where learning can occur.
//
Our education strategy realizes that education can help us
practically. For over 200 years, America's genius has created
the wireless and model T and integrated circuits. ( (I'm reminded
of the man who was asked what he would take if his house was on
fire and he could remove only one thing. // He answered, "I
would take the fire. ") ) // American scholarship works. //
Yet education must also shape us morally -- providing the
grounding ideas and values crucial to democracy. // I have said
that in America, the definition of a successful life must include
serving others. But you cannot serve if, you cannot read. You
cannot serve if you cannot think. You cannot serve if you cannot
separate good from bad, true from false, practical from dreamy.
4
Just as many have labored to share their knowledge with you
-- parents, teachers, administrators, friends -- you must follow
suit. // Give of yourselves -- as a tutor in a prison, at a
local school, in a homeless center. You will share something far
more profound than little scraps of information. You will share
a way at looking at the world -- and at looking at oneself. //
You are today's trailblazers and leaders. What you learn
today and in years to come will help us make the 21st Century the
next American Century. It won't be easy. ((I recall once how,
marking an examination paper shortly before Christmas, the noted
scholar William Lyon Phelps came across a note. The note read,
"God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas." /
Phelps returned the paper with the annotation, "God gets an A.
You get an F. Happy New Year. ") )
You can't bluff your way through the future. You have to
face it squarely -- and take it on. You will encounter
roadblocks, but you will overcome them. You will conquer through
resilience / scholarship / and above all, the example of your
lives. //
As you do, think of those who deserve our thanks. People
like , Chairman of the White House Commission on Presidential
Scholars. / And the Commission sponsors. / And let me salute
the Commissioner members who chose you 141 honorees from among
America's high-school graduates. //
But also remember the teachers who inspired you -- the
friends or adults who counseled you, supported you, gave you the
5
confidence to achieve great things. // Kathryn Cunningham, a
Scholar from Vermont, has said, "I thank my parents for their
advice that achievements mean nothing if they don't help anyone
else." All your parents ought to be proud. While this is your
day, it's also theirs. //
To every Presidential Scholar, my heart-felt congratulations
-- and in closing, a challenge. // Let us not only move mankind
into the future. Let us better it, ennoble it. Make the best of
the special blessings bestowed upon you. God bless you, and your
wonderful families. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
Document 246316
No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
06/14/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 06/17
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
(06/13 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
DEMAREST
SNOW
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Monday, 06/17, with a copy to this office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
91 JUN 14 PM 3:46
(Smith/Grossman)
June 13, 1991
Draft Four
SCHOLARS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991
ROSE GARDEN
Acknowledgements -- ladies and gentlemen, friends. Welcome
to the White House -- and to an event that celebrates the highest
scholastic honor a President can bestow. //
((First, I want to say there's no rule that says the person
giving this speech has to be as smart as the students receiving
the scholarships.) //
((I wasn't the most brilliant student in America, but then I
wasn't quite like George Burns. George once said, "Smartness
runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my
teacher was in my class for five years.") ) //
Even at 95, George Burns would salute the Presidential
Scholarship Program, now 27 years old. / Today, I would like to
discuss how education can -- and must -- help prepare America's
children to serve the nation, and the world. //
Let me begin by asking you to look at yourselves. What do
you see? You see some of our best and brightest young people.
You see living educational success stories. You see our hope for
an exciting, rich future. //
You come from every sort of background -- every race and
creed. You live in all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
2
U.S. territories, and in other lands. But as Americans, you
revere learning, achievement -- and the hope that both create.
California's Maria DeSalles (Dee-SAIZ) realizes that. She
is the first woman in her family to earn an undergraduate degree.
// So does Jonathan Sievers (Seevers) -- born on Kwajaleln in the
Marshall Islands. He is the third member of his family commended
as a Presidential scholar -- that's really remarkable. Jonathan
thanks his parents -- let me use his words -- for "making me
practice and for leaving the fish alone. II // Then, there's
another, Kai Ng (Key Ing) of Illinois. Coming here from in
-
1974, she learned English from her sister and Sesame Street. //
Funny: That's the same place I'm trying to learn computer
programming. //
Education traditionally has served as the ladder that
enables individual Americans to reach beyond the clouds. Every
time someone succeeds in going further, higher -- we all reap the
benefits.
Almee Crago (eh-may cray-go), a Presidential scholar from
Louisiana, has written: "I think that in order to be the person
one wants to be, one needs to have a knowledge of all the people
one could be, and education provides this knowledge. " /
It has become something of a cliche to say that knowledge is
power -- but it is. Knowledge, imagination, ambition: these form
the pillars for our future. Education can help us keep our
competitive edge and imaginative fires -- here and abroad. It
gives us the means to raise our standard of living and improve
3
the quality of our lives. It can lead us into a new Golden Age
of information, understanding, and technology.
America has no natural resource more precious than its
intellectual resources. // That is why, recently, I announced
our America 2000 Education Strategy -- a pioneering movement to
make -- and keep -- American education number one. //
For today's students, we must make existing schools better
and more accountable. For tomorrow's students, the next
generation -- we must create new generations of American schools.
For all of us -- for the adults who think our school days are
over -- we've got to become a Nation of scholars -- recognize
that learning is a lifetime process. Finally, outside our
schools, we must cultivate communities where learning can occur.
//
Our education strategy realizes that education can help us
practically. For over 200 years, America's genius has created
the wireless and model T and integrated circuits. ((I'm reminded
of the man who was asked what he would take if his house was on
fire and he could remove only one thing. // He answered, "I
would take the fire. ") ) // American scholarship works. //
Yet education must also shape us morally -- providing the
grounding ideas and values crucial to democracy. // I have said
that in America, the definition of a successful life must include
serving others. But you cannot serve if you cannot read. You
cannot serve if you cannot think. You cannot serve if you cannot
separate good from bad, true from false, practical from dreamy.
-
5
confidence to achieve great things. // Kathryn Cunningham, a
Scholar from Vermont, has said, "I thank my parents for their
advice that achievements mean nothing if they don't help anyone
else." All your parents ought to be proud. While this is your
day, it's also theirs. //
To every Presidential Scholar, my heart-felt congratulations
-- and in closing, a challenge. // Let us not only move mankind
into the future. Let us better it, ennoble it. Make the best of
the special blessings bestowed upon you. God bless you, and your
wonderful families. And God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
4
Just as many have labored to share their knowledge with you
-- parents, teachers, administrators, friends -- you must follow
suit. / / Give of yourselves -- as a tutor in a prison, at a
local school, in a homeless center. You will share something far
more profound than little scraps of information. You will share
a way at looking at the world -- and at looking at oneself. / /
You are today's trailblazers and leaders. What you learn
today and in years to come will help us make the 21st Century the
next American Century. It won't be easy. ((I recall once how,
marking an examination paper shortly before Christmas, the noted
scholar William Lyon Phelps came across a note. The note read,
"God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas." /
Phelps returned the paper with the annotation, "God gets an A.
You get an F. Happy New Year.") )
You can't bluff your way through the future. You have to
face it squarely -- and take it on. You will encounter
roadblocks, but you will overcome them. You will conquer through
resilience / scholarship / and above all, the example of your
lives. //
As you do, think of those who deserve our thanks. People
like , Chairman of the White House Commission on Presidential
Scholars. / And the Commission sponsors. / And let me salute
the Commissioner members who chose you 141 honorees from among
America's high-school graduates. //
#
But also remember the teachers who inspired you -- the
friends or adults who counseled you, supported you, gave you the
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
June 17, 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR TONY SNOW
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR
COMMUNICATIONS AND DIRECTOR OF SPEECHWRITING
FROM:
GENE SCHAERR GCS 1CM
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: Presidential Scholars
Counsel's Office has no legal objection to the Presidential
Remarks referenced above.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this matter.
CC: Phillip D. Brady
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary