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1252285
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4/16/75 - White House News Photographers Association
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1252285
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document
title
4/16/75 - White House News Photographers Association
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President's Speeches and Statements Reading Copies (Ford Administration)
Reading Copies of Presidential Speeches and Statements
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Press
Speeches, addresses, etc.
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1252285
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16
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1975-04-16
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4
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1975
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16
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1975-04-16
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4
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1975
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The original documents are located in Box 7, folder "4/16/75 - White House News
Photographers Association" of the President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at
the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box 7 of President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
THE PRESILENT HAS SEEN def.
THE WHITE HOUSE NEWS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 1975
- 1 -
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE WHITE HOUSE NEWS
PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION -- SURVIVORS OF VAIL -- GUARDIANS
OF THE FRONT GATE AT BURNING TREE -- FOLLOWERS OF
ERIC ROSENBERGER -- AND MY VERY GOOD FRIENDS.
AS I LOOK
ABOUT ME TONIGHT, ALL I CAN SAY IS: I'VE HEARD OF STAKE-OUTS --
BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS!
- 2 -
I AM DELIGHTED TO BE HERE TONIGHT AT THIS FIFTY-FOURTH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE WHITE HOUSE NEWS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION.
IT'S A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU ALL so RELAXED AND UNRUSHED.
IN FACT,
I THINK ONE OF YOUR MEMBERS WAS TRYING TO TELL ME SOMETHING
ABOUT MY SCHEDULE.
HE SAID IT'S EASY TO TELL A WHITE HOUSE
PHOTOGRAPHER THESE DAYS BECAUSE YOU ALL CARRY A LITTLE CARD
IN YOUR WALLET.
IT SAYS: I AM A WHITE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER.
IN CASE OF ACCIDENT, DON'T DO A THING.
I NEED THE REST!
- 3 -
LET ME THANK PRESIDENT BOSTON FOR THAT VERY KIND
INTRODUCTION.
PRESIDENT BOSTON -- THAT REALLY HAS A RING
TO IT, DOESN'T IT?
PRESIDENT BOSTON AND I DIDN'T HAVE MUCH
OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER TONIGHT, BUT WE
DID EXCHANGE A FEW WORDS BEFORE THE AWARDS.
- 4 -
I ASKED PRESIDENT BOSTON, "DO YOU SKI?"
HE SAID, "NO."
I SAID, "DO YOU PLAY GOLF?"
HE SAID, "NO."
I SAID, "HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED FOOTBALL?"
HE SAID, "NO."
I SAID, "DO YOU MAKE YOUR OWN BREAKFAST?"
HE SAID, "NO."
I DON'T WANT TO CAUSE ANY TROUBLE -- BUT LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN, I ASK YOU -- THIS IS A PRESIDENT?
- 5 -
I'M ONLY FOOLING.
PRESIDENT BOSTON HAS DONE
AN OUTSTANDING JOB AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE WHITE HOUSE
NEWS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION.
IN FACT, HE WAS TELLING ME
THAT HE RECENTLY COMPLETED HIS FIRST TERM AS PRESIDENT, AND
HAS JUST BEEN RE-ELECTED -- UNOPPOSED -- TO HIS SECOND TERM
AS PRESIDENT.
BERNIE, ALL I CAN SAY IS -- YOU SURE KNOW
HOW TO HURT A FELLA!
- 6 -
AS YOU ALL KNOW, PHOTOGRAPHY IS BOTH AN ART AND
A SCIENCE -- AND ITS PRACTITIONERS ARE ALWAYS STRIVING FOR THE
ULTIMATE -- FOR THE PERFECT PHOTOGRAPH.
IN FACT,
MY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHIC STORY WAS TOLD TO ME BY FRANK BORMAN,
THE ASTRONAUT.
HE SAID WHEN HE WAS FIFTY-THOUSAND MILES UP,
HE REACHED FOR HIS CAMERA AND TOOK A PICTURE OF THE ENTIRE EARTH
AND ALL THE PEOPLE ON IT.
I ASKED FRANK, "HOW DID IT COME
OUT?"
HE SAID, "NOT so GOOD.
SOMEBODY MOVED!"
- 7 -
WELL, AT THE WHITE HOUSE, I FEEL WE ALSO HAVE
A RICHNESS OF PHOTOGRAPHIC TALENT.
THERE'S AN OLD SAYING
Hund
THAT ONE PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS.
IN DAVE KENNERLY,
9
I GET BOTH!
- 8 -
I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH DAVE KENNERLY --
THE ANSEL ADAMS OF "M" STREET.
...
DAVID KENNERLY IS ONE OF
THE FINEST, MOST TALENTED, MOST CREATIVE, MOST GIFTED
PHOTOGRAPHERS THIS NATION HAS EVER KNOWN.
AND THAT'S NOT
JUST MY OPINION.
IT'S HIS TOO!
- 9 -
BUT AS I LOOK ABOUT ME TONIGHT, I SEE so MANY GREAT
PHOTOGRAPHIC LUMINARIES.
THERE'S CLEVE RYAN, WHO
WILL BE INTERESTED TO KNOW THAT BY EXECUTIVE ORDER I HAVE
JUST NAMED HIM POSTMASTER -- OF AIR FORCE ONE
.....
- 10 -
FRANK "BABY' \ JOHNSON, WHO HAS NEVER FALLEN DOWN
ON ANY JOB -- UNTIL WE GOT HIM ON SKIS AT VAIL
AND GEORGE TAMES, WHO IS PERHAPS BEST KNOWN FOR THE WORK DONE
BY HIS MOST FAMOUS AND MOST CELEBRATED PUPIL -- MATTHEW BRADY.
- II -
PERSONALLY, I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED BEING WITH YOU ALL BECAUSE
EXCITING THINGS ALWAYS SEEM TO HAPPEN AROUND NEWS PHOTOGRAPHERS.
LAST YEAR, I WAS IN SAN FRANCISCO AND SUDDENLY THE FLOOR STARTED
TO TREMBLE, THE WALLS STARTED TO SWAY, AND THE CEILING STARTED
TO CRACK.
I TURNED TO WALLY McNAMEE AND ASKED, "SAN
FRANCISCO? EARTHQUAKE?"
HE SHOOK HIS HEAD.
HE SAID,
"RODDY MIMMS -- JOGGING!"
- 12 -
WELL, TONIGHT LET ME SALUTE RODDY AND ALL YOU OTHER
HEAVYWEIGHTS IN THE WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
YOU ARE THE FREE
SPIRITS WHO CAPTURE THE MOMENT AND LIBERATE THE IMAGINATION.
THROUGHOUT MY ENTIRE POLITICAL LIFE AND BEFORE, I HAVE ALWAYS
PLACED MY CONFIDENCE IN PHOTOGRAPHY AS A MEDIUM TO GET ANY
MESSAGE ACROSS.
- 13 -
AND NOW AS PRESIDENT, I KNOW THAT THE MEMBERS OF
THE WHITE HOUSE NEWS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION, ALONG WITH
MEMBERS OF OUR OWN WHITE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHIC DEPARTMENT, ARE
CREATING A UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE PRESIDENTIAL RECORD.
A VITAL, DAY BY DAY, HOUR BY HOUR, AND OFTEN MINUTE BY MINUTE
PORTRAYAL OF EVENTS ON THEIR WAY TO BECOMING HISTORY.
YOUR EFFORTS TODAY WILL BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO THE TEXTBOOKS OF
TOMORROW.
YOU LEAVE NOT FOOTPRINTS, BUT COLOR PRINTS
IN THE SANDS OF TIME.
- 14 -
ON A MORE PERSONAL LEVEL, BETTY AND I THANK YOU ALL
FOR THE KINDNESS AND COURTESY YOU HAVE SHOWN US.
IN THE PAST
EIGHT MONTHS, WE HAVE SHARED MANY HAPPY MOMENTS AND A FEW
SAD ONES AS WELL.
BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW MUCH YOUR
GOOD WILL AND YOUR GOOD WISHES HAVE MEANT TO US.
- 15 -
MY WISH TONIGHT IS THAT IT WILL ALWAYS CONTINUE so --
AND THAT AS PHOTOGRAPHERS, AND AS FRIENDS, YOU WILL NEVER
HAVE CAUSE TO TAKE A DIM VIEW OF THE WHITE HOUSE.
THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT.
END OF TEXT