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End Hunger Awards Ceremony 10/16/89 [OA 6270]
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End Hunger Awards Ceremony 10/16/89 [OA 6270]
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administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Backup Files
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Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
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Folder Title:
End Hunger Awards Ceremony 10/16/89 [OA 6270]
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26
19
4
3
Eliz Kellev
371-0200
Erino.Brien
October 12, 1989
2:30 pm
[END]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: END HUNGER AWARDS CEREMONY
THE ROOSEVELT ROOM
OCTOBER 16, 1989
10:30 AM
NAMES!
Good morning. Clayton Yeutter, [members of Congress,] Mark
Edelman, Administrator of AID: welcome to the White House.
Vair
Blure
And it is a special privilege to welcome Dr. Verghese Kurien
rfamily
of India -- the 1989 recipient of the World Food Prize -- and
op Flood
Store
father of India's "White Revolution" that has brought hygienic
milk to the homes of 170 million people. Tomorrow evening, Dr.
410-3631
Kurien will be honored at the Smithsonian Institution for his
life-long dedication to the poor and hungry of India. But this
morning, I want to congratulate this great humanitarian, whose
work has changed the lives -- and the livelihoods -- of so many
millions of people.
And, of course, let me say again how honored I am to meet
with the End Hunger Award winners -- one dozen of the 1000 points
of light who are bringing hope to the hungry.
You've all heard me say before that, from now on in America,
any definition of a successful life must include service to
2
others. Well, by that standard, the people I've just met with
are the kind of success stories who inspire us all.
Whether you're a Congressman or Ambassador -- or a produce
Mickey
merchant like Mickey Weiss who decides one day it's time to feed
the hungry with the perfectly edible food we waste -- what you've
wiss
done proves that each of us can make a difference -- right in our
own neighborhood, or on the other side of the world.
I know this is a proud moment for all of you. But I'd like
to single out three award winners who are not here. Ambassador
Alan Woods, Adminstrator of AID, who cared so deeply, working
until the very end of his life to help the world's hungry.
Congressman Mickey Leland: People here in Washington, people
back in Mickey's home town of Houston, and the starving children
of Ethiopia will never forget this man and his great love and
compassion. And Tom Worrick -- AID officer in Ethiopia who also
Eldred
Doug
lost his life on the way to Ethiopia's refugee camps with
aformerAID food monitor
Congressman Leland. Tom's wife Roberta, shares the award.
647-38 AID 1-38-02
////
AID
Roberta, our hearts go out to you.
nutrition
monitor for feed programs
The End Hunger Awards underscore a simple fact about
America. We are a compassionate people, a nation of neighbors
and neighborhoods -- and America will never sleep well so long as
a single man, woman or child goes to sleep hungry or homeless,
haunted or hurting.
3
But hunger cuts across all nations and peoples. Hunger is
black. Hunger is white. Hunger is brown. /// And hunger is
cruel. /// Every time you feed a family -- even a single man,
woman or child -- along with nourishment, you give them dignity
and hope.
I salute the winners of the End Hunger Awards. And with
that salute goes the gratitude of a nation to you for answering
the call to provide this most basic of needs. Because of you,
we're one step closer to a world without hunger.
Thank you all for joining me this morning. Now, I will sign
a proclamation declaring today World Food Day. God bless you --
and God bless the United States of America.
# # #
1989 PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
GOVERNMENT/LEGISLATIVE
GLADYS D. GILBERT
As Special Projects Officer for the U.S. Agency for
International Development in Ethiopia, Gladys D. Gilbert worked
tirelessly to ease the suffering and despair of people fleeing
the ravages of drought and war in Sudan and Somalia. Following
service with the Peace Corps, she joined the Agency for
International Development in 1977 as a public health specialist
and project development officer, working in India, Nepal and
Somalia.
During her tours in Washington and the field, Ms. Gilbert
played a key role in setting up population and family planning
programs in Somalia, Malawi, Uganda and other African
countries. Her areas of responsibility ranged from health and
nutrition programs to control of locusts to assistance for
orphans in Ethiopia. She represented A.I.D. in international
efforts to coordinate donor actions during the 1984-85
drought. When the need for specialists with experience in the
Horn of Africa arose in 1988, she willingly volunteered to
return to Ethiopia. Ms. Gilbert's career reflected a
combination of solid professionalism, cultural sensitivity and
an exceptional ability to establish close rapport with people
in the countries where she worked.
###
1989 PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
GOVERNMENT/LEGISLATIVE
THOMAS J. WORRICK AND ROBERTA WORRICK
Tom Warrick was the Acting A.I.D. Representative in Ethiopia at
the time of his death on August 7, 1989. Mr. Worrick joined
A.I.D. in 1974 as an agriculture project manager after serving
as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia. During the intervening
years, he served as an agricultural economist in Nigeria,
Tanzania, Pakistan, Kenya, Liberia and Washington. Mr. Worrick
was an outstanding Foreign Service Officer. He excelled at
analyzing problems and finding workable solutions. Because of
his innovative and thoughtful approach and his widely
recognized expertise, cultural sensitivity, and ability to deal
with officials at all levels, he was regularly sought out for
advice by host country officials.
In 1979, Mr. Worrick pioneered a new development approach when
he led a major effort in Pakistan to bring the private sector
into that country's fertilizer distribution system, which
helped move the country toward wheat self-sufficiency. When
drought and the prospect of famine resurfaced in Ethiopia in
1987, Mr. Worrick volunteered to return to the country where he
had first served 20 years before. His analyses of the food
situation and refugee problems in Ethiopia played a critical
role in the U.S. response to the recent drought.
Roberta Worrick, a talented painter and, more recently, a
well-known author, had been a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia
in the early 1970's with her husband. When he returned in
1987, she accompanied him and worked with A.I.D. as a food
monitor. In this capacity Mrs. Worrick traveled widely in
Ethiopia, overseeing the emergency efforts of the donors.
###
1989 PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
EDUCATOR/SCIENTIST
DR. JEAN MAYER
Dr. Jean Mayer, President of Tufts University and an
internationally renowned nutritionist, has been integral in
forumulating policy to combat hunger and malnutrition. Dr.
Mayer continues to alleviate suffering by influencing changes
in legislation, programs and domestic and foreign U.S. policy.
Primary among his accomplishments was the first White House
Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health in 1969, which he was
asked to chair as a special consultant to President Nixon.
That conference led to enactment of food stamps, subsidized
school lunches, unit pricing, the Women, Infants and Children's
(WIC) program, and food labeling regulations.
As a member of the Nutrition Division of the U.N. Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO), Dr. Mayer has sought to extend
the U.S. expertise that has enabled this country to feed its
own people as well as others in the world. He was an organizer
and participant in a Swedish symposium on famine which produced
the first major document on how nutrition and relief operations
should be handled in disasters. At Tufts University, he
established the first graduate school of nutrition in the U.S.
and was responsible for establishing the Tufts USDA Human
Nutrition Research Center on Aging.
###
1989 PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
GOVERNMENT/LEGISLATIVE
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE BILL EMERSON
Representative Bill Emerson of Missouri, Vice Chairman of the
House Select Committee on Hunger, has shown extraordinary
leadership in seeking solutions to chronic hunger and
malnutrition both in the United States and abroad.
During Congressional trips to Ethiopia in 1984 and Sudan in
1989, his actions were crucial to expediting life-saving aid to
thousands of people who faced death from starvation. As a
senior member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Domestic
Marketing, Consumer Relations and Nutrition, he has worked
vigorously to craft legislation such as the Emergency Hunger
Relief Act of 1988.
Mr. Emerson has vigorously worked to improve coordination among
Federal programs to relieve hunger and meet other basic needs,
and to simplify procedures for applying for benefits of these
programs. He has stood up for hungry people who are often
intimidated and confused by bureaucratic structures. His
stature as a legislator and his commitment have made great
impact on this issue and will continue to do so in the future.
###
1989 PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
HILL STAFFERS FOR HUNGRY AND HOMELESS
In 1986, Hill Staffers for the Hungry and Homeless set a modest
goal of collecting food and clothing for the Washington, D.C.
area homeless, and to encourage congressional employees to
volunteer at shelters and soup kitchens. As a result of those
early efforts, workers from local shelters and soup kitchens
regularly collect bags of food and clothing at pick-up points
in the Senate and House. This system has made participation
easier for busy Hill staffers and exposed them to various
organizations working with the poor. This weekly donation
schedule has encouraged hundreds of congressional employees to
volunteer at soup kitchens and shelters.
Hill Staffers has consistently sought innovative ways to
provide the area's homeless children with many items that
others take for granted. What began as a food and clothing
drive has become a creative activity that brings food, books,
toys and fun into the lives of children whose home address is
often the street. While filling the needs of the most
innocent, Hill Staffers has created a system that enables even
the busiest to participate.
###
1989 PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT
MAURICE "MICKEY" WEISS
For more than 40 years, Maurice "Mickey" Weiss has been a
merchant in the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market, a
centralized facility that provides fresh fruit and vegetables
daily to the greater Los Angeles area. As in all similar
central produce markets across the country, vast quantities of
perfectly edible food were thrown away each day because the
produce was too ripe to pass the ten-day shelf life requirement
for delivery to supermarkets.
In 1987, Mickey Weiss decided that instead of wasting this
food, participating merchants could donate it to the needy. At
the age of 72, he established and personally funded the
Charitable Distribution Center at the Los Angeles Wholesale
Produce Market. Here a daily supply of fresh fruits and
vegetables could be delivered by the participating merchants to
the hungry and homeless.
In the two years since the Center's inception, it has
distributed to the hungry in Los Angeles 14,450,000 pounds of
produce valued at $7,947,500 -- produce which otherwise would
have been destroyed -- at no cost to the government or
taxpayers.
Long known as a community leader and outstanding
philanthropist, Mickey received the Private Sector Initiative
Commendation from President Reagan for his community last
year. He is a member of the Board of the United Way-founded
Food Partnership.
###
1989 PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
CORPORATE
CHEVRON CORPORATION
The humanitarian interventions and steadfast cooperation of
the Chevron Corporation in the political unrest of Sudan have
been nothing short of heroic. Throughout the course of
organized multi-donor food relief efforts, Chevron
installations scattered throughout the conflict zone have
comprised the key logistic element in averting thousands of
deaths from starvation. Moreover, Chevron made available its
Muglad airport and refueling facilities to support a 90-day
US-UN airlift to the besieged towns of Aweil, an action which
saved 65,000 people from the immediate threat of starvation.
Chevron took these humanitarian actions despite the possibility
of incurring the displeasure of either or both sides in Sudan's
civil war. Considering that Chevron has a $1 billion
investment in southern Sudan, its assumption of such a
political risk evidenced the kind of moral integrity that major
corporations are so often accused of lacking.
###
1989 PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
AMBASSADOR ALAN WOODS
As Administrator of the Agency for International
Development from November, 1987 to June, 1989, the late
Ambassador Alan Woods was dedicated to ending human suffering
around the world. Not only did Ambassador Woods direct massive
humanitarian and disaster relief efforts, his concern for the
poor, the hungry, the sick and the dying went beyond that into
discovering and implementing ways to achieve long term, broad
based development gains that would improve living standards for
entire nations.
His visit to Ethiopia in 1988 contributed significantly to
the mobilization of A.I.D.'s efforts to pre-position food
supplies in that nation to head off food shortages that
threatened renewed starvation. His creative efforts within the
Agency to better integrate food aid and agricultural
development policy made significant contributions to
understanding how U.S. food aid can help produce on-going as
well as immediate relief from hunger.
Ambassador Woods was a selfless and dedicated professional,
working literally from his deathbed to complete projects,
programs and initiatives that he knew would bring relief to
millions of people around the globe.
###
1989 PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
GOVERNMENT/LEGISLATIVE
JULIA V. TAFT
Julia Taft's distinguished public service as Director of
A.I.D.'s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance has earned
her recognition throughout the world. Thousands of people in
Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan have survived famine, drought,
flood, pestilence and civil strife to re-establish their lives
thanks to her rapid and effective mobilization of U.S.
Government assistance in the mid-to-late 1980's.
Ms. Taft gained international recognition for her
accomplishments and leadership in organizing an international
assault on locust and grasshopper infestations in 1986 which
threatened the agricultural economies of 13 countries in Africa
and Asia. Some 3,000,000 hectares in Senegal, Gambia,
Mauritania and Mali alone were sprayed within several months,
resulting in the control of 90 percent of the infestation and
the "rescue" of invaluable food-producing cropland. In 1987,
control was maintained and in 1988 and 1989, further control
supported by OFDA resulted in the successful termination of the
locust plague in both Africa and Asia.
In addition to her commitment to reduce hunger of those
affected by disaster , Julia Taft's humanitarian efforts have,
most recently, extended to aiding the over 200,000
unaccompanied minors whose status has resulted from the civil
unrest in Mozambique. In this instance, the Office of Foreign
Disaster Assistance, under her direction, raised the
consciousness of world leaders, sensitizing them to the issue
and facilitating the efforts of private voluntary organizations
and the Government of Mozambique to reunify the unaccompanied
children with their families.
###
1989 PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
CELEBRITY
TED DANSON
Ted Danson has been a major supporter of efforts to end
hunger and insure the healthy future of children's lives around
the world. He was 1989 national chairperson for World Health
Day and appeared in public service announcements that
encouraged Americans to become involved in protecting
children's health, especially in the Third World.
Mr. Danson was an important force in enrolling the heads of
the three major TV networks to join together in the Prime Time
to End Hunger initiative, broadcasts of the top primetime
television shows dealing with hunger, homelessness and poverty
all during the same week in December 1989. This breakthrough
event has a goal of motivating and linking 100,000 new
volunteers with opportunities to make a difference in their
communities and around the world.
He also was a member of last year's Chance of a Lifetime
campaign and spoke about the global campaign to immunize all
the world's children against polio, diphtheria, measles,
whooping cough, tetanus and tuberculosis by the year 2000.
###
1989 PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
PRIVATE VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATION/COOPERATIVE
VOLUNTEERS IN OVERSEAS COOPERATIVE ASSISTANCE
Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (VOCA) is a
private, nonprofit organization providing short-term technical
assistance to developing countries. On request, VOCA sends
volunteers to cooperatives, other private sector agricultural
enterprises, and government agencies. Founded in 1970, VOCA
has been a significant part of the foreign assistance program
of the United States ever since.
Through VOCA, U.S. cooperative and agricultural leaders'
experience and know-how is channeled to selected organizations
in the developing world. The 150 years of American experience
in cooperative business enterprises has created a tremendous
reservoir of experts. These experts have transferable talents
in improving incomes of farmers and other producers of goods
and services, and in reducing the cost of what they buy - farm
supplies, electricity, consumer goods and housing.
VOCA taps into this resource by recruiting highly qualified
volunteers from this talent pool to spend from 30 to 90 days on
overseas assignments. The carefully matched volunteer may be a
recent retiree of a U.S. cooperative, an independent farmer or
agribusinessman, or a mid-career professional whose
organization has granted him/her leave with pay to undertake
the assignment in the field.
Between 1971 and the end of 1988, VOCA volunteers have
completed almost 600 technical assistance assignments with
developing world cooperatives and farmers.
###
1989 PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE MICKEY LELAND
Representative Mickey Leland of Texas dedicated his life to
helping rid the world of the scourge of hunger. Recognizing
that hunger issues were fragmented among many committees in the
House, he co-authored legislation to establish the Select
Committee on Hunger and was appointed Chairman upon its
creation in February, 1984.
Congressman Leland took an active role in legislative efforts
to alleviate world hunger. Under his leadership, the Committee
held numerous hearings and seminars on domestic and
international hunger issues. In November, 1984, Representative
Leland led a Congressional delegation to Ethiopia to assess
conditions and relief operations there. Upon learning of an
impending critical shortfall in emergency food supplies,
Representative Leland and the delegation arranged for food aid
already enroute to Southeast Asia to be diverted to the
stricken region. As a Member of Congress and an advocate of
new methods and strengthened institutions to end hunger, he
devoted his life to affecting the direction of public policy.
###
AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL development
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20523
PRESIDENTIAL END HUNGER AWARDS
PAST RECIPIENTS
1988
Individual Achievement
Eliza M. Carney
Private Voluntary Org./Cooperative
ACCION International
Educator/Scientist
Dr. Ralph Waldo Cummings
Celebrity
Jeff Bridges
Government/Legislative
Hon. Marge Roukema
Hon. Tony Hall
Corporate
General Foods Fund, Inc.
Media/Communications
National Public Radio
Special Recognition
Constantine Gregory
(posthumously)
1987
Lifetime Achievement
Dr. Y.C. James Yen
Individual Achievement
Marguerite Chandler
Private Voluntary Org./Cooperative
Christian Children's Fund
Educator/Scientist
Dr. John W. Mellor
Celebrity
Valerie Harper
Government/Legislative
M. Peter McPherson
Corporate
Caltex Petroleum
Media/Communications
The Christian Science
Monitor
Special Recognition
David L. Guyer
Trickle Up Program
Dr. Jean-Pierre Hallet
1986
Lifetime Achievement
Dr. John Hannah
Individual Achievement
Mary Barden Keegan
Private Voluntary Org./Cooperative
Lutheran World Relief
Educator/Scientist
Dr. Robert F. Chandler
Celebrity
Dennis Weaver
Government/Legislative
Hon. Silvio Conte
Hon. Dante Fascell
Hon. Mickey Leland
Corporate
International Minerals
and Chemical Corporation
Special Recognition
The Peace Corps
Dr. Larry Ward
1985
Individual Achievement
Hon. Bradford Morse
Private Voluntary Org./Cooperative
CARE
Educator/Scientist
Dr. Norman E. Borlaug
Celebrity
John Denver
Government/Legislative
Hon. John C. Danforth
Corporate
Land O'Lakes
Special Recognition
USA for Africa
Live Aid Foundation
Band Aid Trust
1984
Lifetime Achievement
C. Payne Lucas
Private Voluntary Org./Cooperative
Meals for Millions
Educator/Scientist
Dr. Arthur T. Mosher
Celebrity
Eddie Albert
Government/Legislative
Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman
Corporate
Rodale Press
1983
Lifetime Achievement
Wallace J. Campbell
Private Voluntary Org./Cooperative
Save the Children
Educator/Scientist
Frank Parker
Celebrity
Kenny and Marianne Rogers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Special Recognition
Harry Chapin
(posthumously)
Roberto Clemente
(posthumously)
Clifton R. Wharton, Jr.
The Presidentofthe States of America
awards this
Certificate of
Outstanding Achievement
to
The Honorable
Mickey Leland
For vision, initiative and leadership in the effort
to achieve a world without hunger.
The White House
Washington, D.C., October 16,1989
as az Binl Burl
awards this
Certificate of
Outstanding Achievement
to the
Chevron Corporation
For vision, initiative and leadership in the effort
to achieve a world without hunger.
The White House
Washington, D.C., October 16,1989
ay Bash
The President fthe United States ofAmerica
awards this
Certificate of
Outstanding Achievement
to the
Hill Staffers to End Hunger
For vision, initiative and leadership in the effort
to achieve a world without hunger.
The White House
Washington, D.C., October 16,1989
CyBal
awards this
Certificate of
Outstanding Achievement
to
Ambassador Alan Woods
For vision, initiative and leadership in the effort
to achieve a world without hunger.
The White House
Washington, D.C., October 16, 1989
Cy Bul
awards this
Certificate of
Outstanding Achievement
to
Mickey Weiss
For vision, initiative and leadership in the effort
to achieve a world without hunger.
The White House
Washington, D.C., October 16,1989
CyBul
awards this
Certificate of
Outstanding Achievement
to the
Volunteers in
Overseas Cooperative Assistance
For vision, initiative and leadership in the effort
to achieve a world without hunger.
The White House
Washington, D.C., October 16,1989
Gy Bul
The Presidentofthe States of America
awards this
Certificate of
Outstanding Achievement
to
Thomas and Roberta Worrick
For vision, initiative and leadership in the effort
to achieve a world without hunger.
The White House
Washington, D.C., October 16,1989
CaBul
The Presidentofth United States of America
awards this
Certificate of
Outstanding Achievement
to
Dr. Jean Mayer
For vision, initiative and leadership in the effort
to achieve a world without hunger.
The White House
Washington, D.C., October 16,1989
Cy Burl
The President ofthe United States of America
awards this
Certificate of
Outstanding Achievement
to
The Honorable
Bill Emerson
For vision, initiative and leadership in the effort
to achieve a world without hunger.
The White House
Washington, D.C., October 16,1989
CyBul
The Presidentofthe United States of America
awards this
Certificate of
Outstanding Achievement
to
Julia Taft
For vision, initiative and leadership in the effort
to achieve a world without hunger.
The White House
Washington, D.C.,, October 16,1989
Cy Buil
awards this
Certificate of
Outstanding Achievement
to
Gladys D. Gilbert
For vision, initiative and leadership in the effort
to achieve a world without hunger.
The White House
Washington, D.C., October 16, 1989
G Bul
awards this
Certificate of
Outstanding Achievement
to
Ted Danson
For vision, initiative and leadership in the effort
to achieve a world without hunger.
The White House
Washington, D.C., October 16,1989
ay Bash
10/12/89
12:11
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, USDA
NO. 566
P002/014
World Food Day Celebration at the White House
Monday, October 16, 1989
Draft of suggested remarks by President George Bush
Today, in the tradition of my predecessor here in the White
House, I've signed the proclamation passed by both houses of
congress establishing October 16th as World Food Day. It is a
day on which we all take pause to remind ourselves that not all
people in the world are as fortunate as we are -- and that we
must help them.
I've asked you all to come together here in private with me for a
few minutes of both celebration and remembrance.
A celebration to the extent we are celebrating people and
corporations who care - and who serve other people.
A remembrance, in the sense that we want to pause together in
remembrance of those who are no longer with us today, but who
gave SO much.
The world is a fortunate place because of you people -people
who care.
10/12/89
12:12
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, USDA
NO. 566
P003/014
World Food Day
Draft Remarks for
President George Bush
Page 2
I look forward to joining all of you in the ceremony that will take
place later this morning when the Agency for International
Development will officially present the 1989 Presidential End
Hunger Awards to you, a group of concerned Americans who
have made a difference.
But before that ceremony, I wanted to take this opportunity to
personally thank you for embodying the strength of commitment
that brings forth what I have referred to as The Thousand Points
of Light that make the world a better place. A commitment that
brings renewed hope and strength to our world every day.
I also consider it a special privilege today to have with us a man
who is being given special recognition for his lifelong contribution
to improving the lot of the poor and the hungry, Dr. Verghese
Kurien, the 1989 recipient of the World Food Prize.
10/12/89
12:12
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, USDA
NO. 566
P004/014
World Food Day
Draft Remarks for
President George Bush
Page 3
The World Food Prize will be presented tomorrow evening to Dr.
Kurien at a ceremony at the Smithsonian Institution.
S
This is the third year of the World Food Prize, but it's the first
year that it's being awarded in conjunction with World Food Day
activities, and to do so is very appropriate.
Dr. Kurien, let me extend my personal congratulations and
extend a warm welcome from all the people of the United States
for your great service to Humankind.
2
I also want to take time to focus on the lives of two very special
public servants from here in own country who were tragically
taken from us this past year: Congressman Mickey Leland, and
Ambassador Alan Woods of the Agency of International
Development.
10/12/89
12:12
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, USDA
NO. 566
P005/014
World Food Day
Draft Remarks for
President George Bush
Page 4
Both came from different directions and different political
philosophies, but both were committed toward a singular goal:
to make the world a better place for all.
Both Mickey Leland and Alan Woods were public servants who
committed their lives to improving the living conditions of others.
Both, up until the last minutes of their lives, continued to speak
out and work toward what they believed.
Both left a mark on all of us who knew them. A mark to retain
our commitment toward hope and excellence, service and
helping the less fortunate. Through such work, the economic
and spiritual condition of the rest of us is elevated.
World Food Day is a appropriate day to celebrate their special
accomplishments.
10/12/89
12:13
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, USDA
NO. 566
P006/014
World Food Day
Draft Remarks for
President George Bush
Page 5
And to each of the rest of you being honored today for your
magnificent contributions, 1 want to thank you once again for
your personal commitments, for your accomplishments in
service, and for your efforts in behalf of others.
To those members of congress who are present, Secretary
Yeutter, and Ambassador Edelman, I look forward to our
continued working together to build a better world, and one in
which no one ever has to go to sleep hungry or go through their
waking hours malnourished.
Thank You.
10/12/89
12:13
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, USDA
NO. 566
P007/014
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
CONTACT: Elizabeth Kelley
June 6, 1989
Edelman Public Relations
202/371-0200
DAIRY DISTRIBUTION PIONEER NAMED
1989 WORLD FOOD PRIZE WINNER
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A global dairy distribution leader who turned
the milksheds of India into a cooperative system owned and managed
by milk producers that produces, processes and markets milk for the
urban centers of that country has been named winner of the 1989
World Food Prize sponsored by the General Foods Fund, Inc.
Verghese Kurien, chairman of India's National Dairy
Development Board, is the 1989 winner of the $200,000 annual prize,
the largest of its kind.
Dr. Kurien's cooperative program, entitled "Operation Flood,"
$
involves more than six million dairy producers in 50,000
cooperatives, marketing milk in 500 cities and towns throughout
India. Involving nearly 170 million people in India, Operation
Flood is the largest agricultural development program in the world.
The success of Operation Flood has led to its application to other
commodities, including fruits, vegetables and oilseeds.
The World Food Prize, established in 1986, is given each year
to an individual whose work has brought food to the tables of the
world's population. It recognizes achievements in any discipline
that has improved the quality, quantity or availability of food in
the world.
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Dr. Kurien's endeavors toward improving the milk supply in his
country began in 1949 when he went to Anand, India, following his
graduate studies at Michigan State University. He worked for a
newly-formed cooperative organization, the Kaira District Milk
Producers Union, which was established to help market milk directly
to the consumers. At that time, two cooperatives were involved
representing only a handful of farmers.
After years of struggle, the cooperative began to produce
dramatic results. In 1965, then Prime Minister of India, Shri Lal
Bahadur Shastri, created the National Dairy Development Board to
replicate the program on a nationwide basis. The Prime Minister
cited Dr. Kurien's "extraordinary and dynamic leadership" upon
naming him the chairman.
Today, six million dairy cooperative members supply almost 3
million tons of milk annually. As a result of this work, milk
prices in India have stabilized; India's towns and cities receive
an adequate supply of hygienic milk; and the small farmers and
landless laborers who comprise the majority of dairy cooperative
membership now have a regular source of income.
Operation Flood has also helped break down caste barriers in
India by treating all members of the cooperative equally. Harijans
or "untouchables," those at the bottom of the caste structure, also
sell their milk into the cooperatives.
Leaders from a large number of countries in Asia, Africa and
Latin America have expressed the desire to replicate Operation
Flood in their own countries.
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"Operation Flood and its application to other commodities has
played a vital role in getting food from the farmers to the tables
of the world's population," said A.S. Clausi, chairman of The World
Food Prize Council of Advisors. "Dr. Kurien's accomplishments
exemplify all that The World Food Prize represents."
Dr. Kurien was selected from 173 nominees from 48 countries.
His selection was announced today at the National Press Club in
Washington, D.C., by Dr. Norman Borlaug, chairman of The World Food
Prize Selection Committee and 1970 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Other speakers at the event were Mr. Clausi; James Ferguson,
chairman of the General Foods Executive Committee; and Lalit
Mansingh, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India.
"Operation Flood's cooperatives have created a grassroots
foundation underpinning India's democracy," said Mr. Mansingh.
"Dr, Kurien's role in bringing about the 'White Revolution' is
unique."
The Prize, an original sculpture by world-renowned designer
Saul Bass and the cash award, will be given to Dr. Kurien at a
ceremony in Washington on October 17. The award ceremony will be
held in conjunction with a day-long colloquium on world food issues
at the Smithsonian Institution.
Born in Calicut, India, Dr. Kurien, age 67, received a
Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Engineering (with honors) at
Madras University; and a Master of Science of Mechanical
Engineering (with distinction) at Michigan State University.
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The World Food Prize was conceived by Dr. Norman Borlaug, who
received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work in agricultural
research. After receiving the Nobel Prize, Dr. Borlaug spent years
striving for the creation of an award that would recognize
individual achievements in any discipline that has affected the
global food supply. Examples of these fields include anything from
agricultural sciences to transportation, from political leadership
and marketing to economic policy and education.
The World Food Prize was awarded in 1988 to Robert F.
Chandler, Jr., Ph.D., founding director of the International Rice
Research Institute, whose work in developing new varieties of rice
helps feed billions. The first World Food Prize was given in 1987
to M.S. Swaminathan, architect of India's "green revolution," and
former secretary of agriculture for that country.
###
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GENERAL FOODS
WORLD FOOD PRIZE
CONTACT: Elizabeth Kelley
Edelman Public Relations
202/371-0200
BIOGRAPHY: VERGHESE KURIEN
Verghese Kurien, 1989 winner of The World Food Prize,
sponsored by the General Foods Fund, Inc., established a
cooperative system that produces, processes and markets milk of the
farmers of his native India.
Dr. Kurien, age 67, is chairman of India's National Dairy
Development Board. Born in Calicut, India, he received a Bachelor
of Science and a Bachelor of Engineering (with honors) at Madras
University in 1943. After working for one of India's major
industrial firms, Dr. Kurien accepted a scholarship to study dairy
science at Michigan State University with the understanding that
he would work for the Indian government following his schooling.
Upon receiving a Master of Science of Mechanical Engineering
(with distinction) in 1949, Dr. Kurien was assigned to work with
an Indian government experimental dairy in Anand, Gujarat. It was
there that he met Tribhuvandas Patel, chairman of a fledgling
cooperative union, which shared space with the government dairy.
So began the Kaira District Milk Producers Union and a working
relationship that has lasted a lifetime.
When Dr. Kurien arrived in Anand, the equipment in the
cooperative dairy was antiquated and the cooperative faced
difficulties in procuring and processing the milk to send 280 miles
)
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away to Bombay. He overcame these early struggles, however, and
quickly built a highly committed and talented team which worked
with the elected leaders of the cooperative to transform the Kaira
Milk Producers Union into a success.
These successes did not go unnoticed. In 1964, then Prime
Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri visited Anand and was so
impressed that he created the National Dairy Development Board in
1965 to replicate the program on a nationwide basis. Dr. Kurien
was appointed chairman of the organization.
Today, the National Dairy Development Board's cooperative
program, "Operation Flood," reaches nearly 170 million milk
producers and consumers throughout India and is the largest
agricultural development program in the world.
"Kurien is a controversial person. He has taken risks but
calculated ones and more often than not, his gambles have
succeeded," according to a book entitled Management Kurien Stvle:
The Story of the White Revolution.
Dr. Kurien, the book reports, has spoken at great lengths
about the role of a professional. In a cooperative, Dr. Kurien has
said "The professional manager's role is to ensure that cooperative
members are masters of technical change -- and to see that this
technical change serves the socioeconomic objectives of the
community at large."
In addition to serving as chairman of the National Dairy
Development Board, Dr. Kurien is currently chairman of many other
organizations including the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing
0
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Federation; the Institute of Rural Management's Board of Governors;
the Aga Khan Rural Support Program's Board of Directors: the Animal
Husbandry and Dairy Development Council of Gujarat; and the
National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India.
He is currently a member the Government of India's Central
Advisory Council on Trade for the Ministry of Commerce; India
Ministry of Education's Steering Committee of Model Schools
Project; India Ministry of Environment and Forests' National
Wastelands Development Board; the Lal Bahadur Shastri National
Memorial Trust; and Executive Committee of the International Dairy
Federation, Government of India.
Past positions have included Director, Bank of Laroda (until
1969) ; Director, Life Insurance Corporation of India Ltd., (1970-
74) ; Director, Industrial Development Bank of India (1972-76) ;
Director, Central Board, Reserve Bank of India (1972-83) ; Member,
Consultative Council on Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture (1972-
75) ; Member, Advisory Council of Industries, Government of India
(1975) ; Member, Advisory Board on Energy, Government of India
(1983-85) ; Member, Executive Committee, International Dairy
Federation, Brussels, Belgium (1974-86) (1988-92) ; Member and
Chairman, Gujarat Electricity Board (1965) ; and Vice Chancellor,
Gujarat Agriculture University (1984-85).
In addition to receiving the 1989 World Food Prize, Dr. Kurien
has been honored with many awards, including the Wateler-Carnegie
Peace Prize in 1986; India's Padma Shri in 1965 and India's Padma
Bhushan in 1966; the Prof. V. Subralmanyan Industrial Achievement
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Award in 1983; the Shri Mathurdas Vissanj. 1 Endowment Award in 1984;
the Business Leadership Award of Madras Management Association in
1978; and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in
1963.
Professional organizations of which Dr. Kurien is currently
a member include Fellow of the Institution of Engineers; Patron,
India Dairy Association; Honorary Member, Association of Food
Technologists; and Companion, British Institute of Management,
London.
Honorary degrees Dr. Kurien has received include Doctor of the
University, University of New England, Armindale, Australia, 1989;
Doctor of Science, Anna University, Madras, in 1988; Doctor of
Humane Letters, Ottawa University, 1985; Doctor of Science, Acadia
University, 1985; Doctor of Law, University of Glasgow, Scotland,
1974; and Doctor of Science, Michigan State University, 1965.
###
McGroarty/Dooley
October 12, 1989
12:30 pm
[END]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: END HUNGER AWARDS CEREMONY
THE ROOSEVELT ROOM
OCTOBER 16, 1989
10:30 AM
Good morning. Clayton Yeutter, [members of Congress,] Mark
Edelman, Administrator of AID: welcome to the White House.
And it is a special privilege to welcome Dr. Verghese Kurien of
India -- the 1989 recipient of the World Food Prize.
And, of course, let me say again how honored I am to meet
with the End Hunger Award winners. We're fresh from our photo-op
-- and I want to thank you for giving me the chance to have my
picture taken with each of you. ////
You've all heard me say before that, from now on in America,
any definition of a successful life must include service to
others. Well, by that standard, the people I've just met with
are the kind of success stories who inspire us all.
Whether you're a Congressman or Ambassador -- or a produce
merchant like Mickey Weiss who decides one day it's time to feed
the hungry with the perfectly edible food we waste -- what you've
done proves that each of us can make a difference -- right in our
own neighborhood, or on the other side of the world.
2
I know this is a proud moment for all of you. But I'd like
to single out three award winners who are not here. Ambassador
Alan Woods, Adminstrator of AID, who worked until the very end to
help the world's hungry. Congressman Mickey Leland: People here
in Washington, people back in Mickey's home town of Houston, and
the starving children of Ethiopia will never forget this man.
And Tom Worrick -- AID officer in Ethiopia who was on the way to
Ethiopia's refugee camps with Congressman Leland. Tom's wife
Roberta shares the award. Roberta, our hearts go out to you.
////
The End Hunger Awards underscore a simple fact about
America. We are a compassionate people, a nation of neighbors
and neighborhoods -- and America will never sleep well so long as
a single man, woman or child goes to sleep hungry or homeless,
haunted or hurting.
But hunger cuts across all nations and peoples. Hunger is
black. Hunger is white. Hunger is brown. /// And hunger is
cruel. /// Every time you feed a family -- even a single man,
woman or child -- along with nourishment, you give them dignity
and hope.
I salute the winners of the End Hunger Awards. And with
that salute goes the gratitude of a nation to you for answering
3
the call to provide this most basic of needs. Because of you,
we're one step closer to a world without hunger.
Thank you all for joining me this morning. Now, I will sign
a proclamation declaring today World Food Day. God bless you --
and God bless the United States of America.
# # #
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460TH STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format.
The Associated Press
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Associated Press.
August 8, 1989, Tuesday, AM cycle
SECTION: International News
663-1451
LENGTH: 793 words
HEADLINE: Police Search Through Night For Congressmen and Others From Missing
Plane
DATELINE: ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
KEYWORD: Ethiopia -Leland
BODY:
Police and farmers with flashlights searched a remote mountain area Tuesday
night for the missing plane carrying Rep. Mickey Leland and 13 other people.
John Guerra, political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, said the
search was conducted on foot and with the aid of jeeps, trucks and other
vehicles. The aerial search was suspended at dusk Tuesday.
Embassy officials said several planes remained on dirt airstrips in the
desolate area of southwestern Ethiopia, ready to resume the search at dawn.
The twin-engine plane carrying Leland and the other disappeared Monday on its
way to the Fugnido refugee camp near the border with Sudan, 480 míles southwest
of Addis Ababa.
The 44-year-old Texas Democrat is chairman of the House Select Committee on
Hunger and he has taken a keen interest in Africa's refugee problem.
Aboard the plane with him were eight other Americans and five Ethiopians. His
office in Washington said the Americans included Patrice Johnson, Leland's chief
of staff; Hugh Johnson of the Hunger committee staff, and Joyce F. Williams from
the staff of Rep. Ron Dellums, D-Calif.
President Bush said he telephoned Leland's wife, Alison, in Houston to
express his concern and promise his administration will do "all we can to learn"
what has happened.
"She's strong, has a lot of hope, and we all pray that he's safe," But told a
meeting of the National Urban League in Washington, where delegates observed a
moment of silent prayer for Leland's survival.
"I think it says a lot about Mickey that he was on his sixth humanitarian
mission to help feed the hungry in that part of the world," Bush told the
meeting.
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The Associated Press, August 8, 1989
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Ethiopia's government has
asked for a "specialized search plane" and that the United States is trying to
find one to accommodate them.
"We have offered to assist in every way we can," Boucher said.
Heavy clouds and poor visibility hampered aerial sweeps Tuesday as rescue
planes criss-crossed the cold, windswept plateau in Ethiopia until sunset.
Robert Houdek, U.S. charge d'affaires in Addis Ababa, said searchers were
encouraged by reports that a small plane was sighted Monday circling a field at
Dembidola, 75 miles from the refugee camp.
"If it was our plane, what we find encouraging is that it would have
transversed a lot of the more treacherous terrain to Fugnido," said Houdek. He
said Dembidola is in an inaccessible region far from communications points,
"which could provide a benign explanation for why we haven't heard anything."
"They could be sitting in the bush with the plane not capable of taking off
but in good shape waiting for search and rescue," Houdek said.
At a briefing in Washington, Leland press secretary Alma Newsom also was
hopeful.
"At this point no news is good news," she said, recalling being on similar
trips with the congressman where air travel and communications were disrupted.
"The safest thing for them to do was land and just sit tight and we think
that is what the congressman did," she said.
She was confident the sighted plane was Leland's, she said, because Ethiopian
air controllers keep close tabs on planes and no others were supposed to be in
the area.
Also in Washington, Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., said Ethiopian authorities in
the past have used bad weather as an excuse to prevent American congressmen from
visiting refugee camps or other controversial sites.
Ackerman said in June that he and Leland were to visit northern refugee camps
in March but were told their charter from Addis Ababa airport could not take off
because of bad weather. The lawmaker said the weather appeared fine.
Leland's Twin Otter aircraft left Addis Ababa in heavy clouds and poor
visibility at about 10:30 a.m. Monday after a two-hour delay caused by bad
weather, said embassy political officer John Guerra.
The plane was last heard from about 15 minutes after it took off.
"It was about 25 miles outside of Addis at the time," Guerra said.
The Twin Otter, a plane commonly used for bush flying in Africa, carried
eight people who were members of Leland's staff, embassy personnel or officers
of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The five Ethiopians aboard
were three government officials, the pilot and co-pilot.
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The Associated Press, August 8, 1989
Guerra said the pilot was highly experienced and had flown all over the
treacherously mountainous country for international relief agencies.
Half a dozen small planes were being used in the hunt directed by
Ethiopia's Civil Aviation Authority. A C-130 Hercules cargo plane also was
standing by.
Fugnido camp is run by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and is one of
four in the region that house more than 300,000 refugees who have fled civil war
in neighboring Sudan.
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