|
Edited on Fri Jun-03-05 09:17 PM by Dover
God bless them! Now THAT is how to organize.
Here's what Walter said at that Awards ceremony:
Mr. Walter Cronkite:
I want to tell Betsy and Marlene that I am proud that they are recognized tonight, as they certainly should be, it seems to be, by your chairman of this organization, and don't be too upset. I will split the $100,000 with you.
It is always such a pleasure, these annual get‑togethers, to meet all of you who are such regulars in the organization we see each year. It is like old home week to see each of you again, though we don't get enough time together unfortunately at these particular meetings. I wish we had more time to be together. I get to see Welton occasionally during the course of the years, as he keeps me advised of the progress of this extraordinary organization in which he was one of the founders as well as Joan Brown Campbell, who I get to see here every year and not too often, unfortunately, during the year.
She is very important in this organization to me, particularly, because actually it was from her that I heard for the first time about the possibility of this organization coming into being.
I was doing some story in Washington. I can't even remember at the time what it was, but she had some handle on the information I needed, and we sat together in a pew at the Cathedral in Washington. There, I met this extraordinary person who I right away fell ‑‑ and I want this clearly understood ‑‑ intellectually in love with.
Although something more sinister than that was possible, of course. It didn't occur, but what did occur was that she advised me for the first time that something was in the wind that, indeed, developed into this organization, and I immediately wished to sign on because it seemed so ‑‑ we seemed desperately in need of The Interfaith Alliance at that particular juncture in American political life, and we have found since then that with all of our efforts, we can only know tonight that we need to redouble them, that, if you please, the danger out there in the woods somewhere seems to never go away. It seems to rise again when the crisis times come, and this is a time of most severe crisis, as we all know, not just for the history of the United States and the survival indeed of our democracy, but for the future peace of the world. And never before probably has the need for interfaith commitment been nearly as great as it is at this very moment.
I need not go into the details. The fact that you are here tonight gathered together with us testifies to the fact you understand already the need for this organization and the need for redoubling our efforts in this organization to try to assure that democracy as represented by the United States version thereof must depend upon a total freedom of religion, which is written into our Constitution, of course, and the mere suggestion that anyone could maintain that one's patriotism, one's devotion to one's country can be judged by one's religion is so vile, so vile that we have to take to the streets indeed and to put it aside.
Well, anyway, you don't want to hear a speech from me because we have got so many interesting here who already have spoken to us and will in the moments we have left in this period of award‑giving.
I can, of course, make mention of the fact that the Moyers are, to my mind, the epitome of good journalism.
If that sounds like a rather simple definition of their contribution to our society and to our world and to the hopes for peace in this world indeed, it is a simple statement because sometimes the greatest truths are said in the shortest words, and in this case, they have with the intellect that they have brought to broadcasting and to the written word in the books that Bill has produced and that the combination, the family connection has brought forth these great documentary productions as well as the written words have led the way in the world of journalism to set a standard which is almost impossible for us mere mortals to duplicate, but at least it is an example that we can preach to the young journalists in this country and the old ones who have forgotten the basic principles of our craft, which is to inform and to educate.
And of course, naturally I have read of the history of Dr. James Forbes and his courageous contributions to the principles upon which this organization is based, and we are grateful to you for that.
I am delighted to be with you, and I look forward to our next alumni meeting, after we have chosen the most likely to succeed and the Editor of the Year book, but this is family, and as family grows, as we seem to each year, more people are with us, more are dedicating their help to us, for which we are very grateful, of course, we are getting prouder of what Welton and the other founders have brought to the face of the earth.
Thank goodness for you. We are grateful, and I am particularly grateful. Thank you all.
_____________________
Award Recipient, Bill Moyers
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
