[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2049-E2050]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

COMMENDING GARRISON KEILLOR, NATIONAL MEDAL OF THE ARTS WINNER

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HON. BRUCE F. VENTO

of minnesota

in the house of representatives

Wednesday, October 6, 1999

Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate a great Minnesota and
American humorist, Garrison Keillor. Keillor, best-selling author and
radio host of ``A Prairie Home Companion,'' was recently awarded the
1999 National Humanities Medal at a ceremony at Constitution Hall in
Washington, D.C. Keillor was one of only 20 individuals selected by the
White House to receive the National Medal of the Arts and Humanities
for supporting the growth and availability of the arts and humanities
to the American public.
During the long, cold Minnesota winters and mosquito-infested
summers, the characters of his fictitious small town, Lake Woebegon,
make us laugh and remind us of the common human thread that runs
through all our communities. And Mr. Keillor doesn't just stick to
fictitious characters. With no shortage of raw material, he sometimes
takes jibes at us politicians in Minnesota. But we don't mind too much
because as Mr. Keillor writes:
``In Minnesota, you learn to avoid self-pity as if it were poison ivy
in the woods. Winter is not a personal experience; everyone else is as
cold as you are; so don't complain about it too much.''
Garrison, I commend you for this great accomplishment. Keep writing,
keep telling us your stories and keep us laughing.
I submit the remarks by President Clinton at the National Medal of
the Arts and Humanities Dinner as well as a September 30 Associated
Press article listing all the 1999 Medal of the Arts and Humanities
winners for the Record.

Remarks by the President at National Medal of the Arts and Humanities
Dinner

September 29, 1999

The President: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the White
House. A special welcome to all of our honorees of the
National Medals of Arts and Humanities. The nice thing about
this evening, apart from being here in America's House
slightly before we celebrate its 200th birthday, is that
there are no speeches and lots of entertainment--unless, of
course, Mr. Keillor wants to substitute for me at this
moment. I'll be living down that

[[Page E2050]]

crack I made about him for the rest of my life.
I want to say again, as I did today and as Hillary did,
that this is one of the most enjoyable and important days of
every year to us, because it gives America a chance to
recognize our sons and daughters who have enriched our lives,
made us laugh, made us think, made us cry, lifted us up when
we were down. In so many ways, all of you have touched so
many people that you will never know. But in all of them
accumulated, you have made America a better place, you've
made the world a finer place.
And as we look to the new century, I hope that as time goes
on we will be known more and more for things beyond our
wealth and power, that go to the wealth and power of our
spirit. Insofar as that happens, it will be because of you
and people like you. And it was a privilege for all of us to
honor you today.
I would like to ask all of you here to join me in a toast
to the 1999 winners of the Medal of Arts and the Medal of
Humanities. And welcome. Thank you.

Arts Medals

(By Joseph Schumann)

Washington (AP).--As Aretha Franklin, Steven Spielberg and
August Wilson passed through a White House receiving line,
President Clinton was overheard telling one guest, ``If I
could make Keillor laugh, I knew that I had achieved.''
Humorist Garrison Keillor, director Spielberg, soul diva
Franklin, playwright Wilson, and 14 others, as well as the
Juilliard School for the performing arts, were awarded
national arts and humanities medals Wednesday, chosen by the
White House as American cultural treasures.
The medals go to individuals or institutions supporting the
growth and availability of the arts and humanities to the
general public.
``It gives America a chance to recognize our sons and
daughters who have enriched our lives, made us laugh, made us
think, made us cry, lifted us up when we were down,'' Clinton
said at a White House dinner honoring the medal winners.
Earlier in the day, Clinton referred to Keillor--a writer
and radio impresario best known for his public radio show,
``A Prairie Home Companion''--as ``our modern-day Mark
Twain.''
``With imagination, wit and also with a steel trap mind and
deep conviction, Garrison Keillor has brought us together,''
said the president.
He said Keillor's humor and variety show about life in a
fictitious small town in Minnesota ``constantly reminds us
how we're all connected and how it ought to keep us a little
humble.''
At a ceremony at Constitution Hall near the White House,
Clinton said this year's winners of the National Medal of
Arts and the National Humanities Medal ``defined in their own
unique ways a part of who we are as a people and what we're
about as a nation as we enter a new century and a new
millennium.''
American Indian ballet dancer Maria Tallchief and folk
singer Odetta were among the musicians, writers and arts
patrons so honored this year.
Odetta's 50 years of performing American folk and gospel
reminds ``us all that songs have the power to change the
heart and change the world,'' Clinton said.
Tallchief helped put an American stamp on classical ballet,
until recent decades a primarily European discipline, Clinton
said.
The 1999 winners of the National Medal of the Arts are:
--Arts patron Irene Diamond, who gave more than $73 million
to the arts through foundations and personal gifts.
--Franklin, the ``Queen of Soul'' who has won 17 Grammys.
--Designer and architect Michael Graves, who created some
of century's most admired structures, including the Riverbend
Music Center in Cincinnati.
--Odetta, the ``Queen of American Folk Music,'' who created
a groundbreaking sound with her voice and guitar.
--The Juilliard School of performing arts in New York,
which includes among its alumni comedian-actor Robin
Williams, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and jazz and classical trumpeter
and composer Wynton Marsalis.
--Writer and director Norman Lear, who created some of the
century's most popular television social comedies, including
``All in the Family,'' ``Good Times'' and ``The Jeffersons.''
--Actress and producer Rosetta LeNoire, who boasts a more
than 60-year career that includes numerous movies, Broadway
productions and TV shows, including ``Family Matters'' and
``Amen.''
--Arts administrator Harvey Lichtenstein, who was president
of the Brooklyn Academy of Music for 32 years and established
it as a leading arts center.
--Singer Lydia Mendoza, who brought Mexican-American music
to the public's attention and became famous in Latin America
with her signature song, ``Mal Hombre.''
--Sculptor George Segal, who made a career of sculpting
environments, including a life-sized bread line at the
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington.
--Tallchief, who was the New York City Ballet's longtime
prima ballerina.
The 1999 winners of the National Humanities Medals are:
--Librarian Patricia M. Battin, who organized a national
campaign to save millions of decaying books by putting their
content on microfilm.
--Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and journalist Taylor
Branch, whose books, including ``Parting the Waters: America
in the King Years,'' made him an authority on the civil
rights movement.
--New South scholar Jacquelyn Dowd Hall, who founded the
Southern Oral History Project at the University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill.
--Keillor, best-selling author and radio host of ``A
Prairie Home Companion.''
--Television anchor and editor Jim Lehrer, host of a public
television news program named for him.
--Political philosopher and author John Rawls, renowned for
his views on justice, basic rights and equal opportunity.
--Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spielberg.
--Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wilson whose plays,
including ``The Piano Lesson'' and ``Fences,'' explore the
black experience in America. Wilson is formerly of St. Paul.

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