Administration of William J. Clinton, 1997 / Feb. 5 145 NOTE: The President spoke at 9:15 p.m. in the Remarks Prior to a Roundtable House Chamber of the Capitol. Discussion on Education in Augusta February 5, 1997 Remarks on Departure for Augusta, The President. First of all, I want to thank Georgia all of you for agreeing to be part of this. And I'll be very brief because I want to hear from February 5, 1997 you. I very much appreciate the fact that Sen- Death of Ambassador Pamela Harriman ator Coverdell and Senator Cleland and Con- Hillary and I were very sad to learn that gressman Norwood came down with me our good friend and America's outstanding today, along with Governor and Mrs. Miller. Ambassador to France, Pamela Harriman, And I wanted to, after the State of the Union passed away just a few moments ago in Paris. last nightÐwhich I believe was the most ex- She was an extraordinary United States tensive treatment a President has ever given Ambassador, representing our country, as to the question of education in the State of well as our Government, to the people of the UnionÐI wanted to come here because France and to the Government, earning the I know a lot about what you've done here trust of the leaders and the admiration of and what you're trying to do, and I think it's people. very important that the American people re- spond to the challenge that I laid out last She was one of the most unusual and gift- night to make American education the best ed people I ever met, with an extraordinary in the world, to understand that it won't be life, from her years growing up in Great Brit- done overnight, and not to be afraid of trying ain to being a part of what the British went to reach higher standards. through in World War II as the Prime Min- I went overÐand I won't belabor it now, ister's daughter-in-law and then her remark- but this is a little booklet that I had done able life in America with Averell Harriman, that Secretary of Education Riley, who is with all the work she did as a force for politi- here with us today, put together for us, incor- cal activism for the Democratic Party and porating the 10 points that I made in the with the friends she had in both parties, in State of the Union last night. But in virtually business, in labor, and in politics. every one of these areas, the State of Georgia Our country will miss her. We are deeply is trying to move forward, and that's the im- indebted to the work she did in France in portant thing, whether it's opening the doors maintaining our relationships with one of our of college education with a HOPE scholar- oldest and closest allies. She was a source ship or the pre-kindergarten program or the of judgment, an inspiration to me, a source remarkable thing you're trying to do on the of constant good humor and charm and real Internet, which will have a huge impact friendship, and we will miss her very, very around the country if you do it, because then much. a lot of other States will get in here and help I had a good talk this morning with her us. The Vice President and I have been trying son, Winston Churchill, and our prayers are to get all the schools hooked up by the year with him and the rest of her family and her 2000, but we might get there ahead of time legion of friends. She will be brought home if every State would take the kind of action to America later this week, and we'll have that you're taking here. more announcements about her funeral later. Then the thing that I really want to focus America has lost a great public servant and on is how we can achieve the objectives that another immigrant who became a great were set out way back in 1989 by the Gov- American. ernors and then President Bush. How can Thank you. we achieve those national education goals? The only way we can ever do it is if we main- NOTE: The President spoke at 10:28 a.m. on the tain the right blend of local control of our South Lawn at the White House. schools, State leadership, but adherence to VerDate 05-AUG-97 08:27 Aug 18, 1997 Jkt 010199 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 E:\TEMP\P06FE4.005 p06fe4 146 Feb. 5 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1997 high national standards so everybody under- Remarks at Augusta State University stands what the bar is we're trying to reach. in Augusta And what we're going to try to do is to get the States and the school districts of the February 5, 1997 country and all the teachers organizations, Thank you so much, Tanya. She did a great the other educators and the parents espe- job, didn't she? Let's give her a hand. I cially, to accept the notion that there ought thought she was terrific. [Applause] to be high standards and we ought to meas- Dr. Bloodworth, thank you for making me ure to see how our kids are doing, not to feel so welcome here at Augusta State today. put them down but to lift them up and to I must say, when I came in, Dr. Bloodworth support the whole educational process and had his whole family there, and you can't say make a specific effort to mobilize a lot of that he's not trying to practice what he people to make sure our children are literate preaches. His son, Paul, has a Georgia HOPE and that they can read independently at the scholarship, and his daughter, Nicole, was an appropriate level, at least by the time they AmeriCorps volunteer last year. If we could get out of the third grade. get everybody to follow that lead, we'd have So that's what we're going to do. And I no problems at all in America within no time. thinkÐwhat I hope will come out of this That's great. today is that by our being here people will I thank Mayor Sconyers for coming to see what you're trying to do in Georgia; meet me at the airport and for being here. they'll be interested in it; it will spark similar He made a politician's promise. He promised activities around the country, and we'll see that I would get some good barbecue before a kind of a cascading effect. You know, when I left town, and I'm going to see if he keeps the American people make up their mind to it. do something, they can get out ahead of the I thank the many members of the Georgia leaders in a hurry, and that's a good thing. Legislature who are here, and I know they When we started this hooking up the have a pivotal role in education. My good Internet, for example, we went to California, friend Commissioner Tommy Irvin, I thank which is our biggest State, and had a NetDay him for being here. I thank Secretary Riley and hooked up 20 percent of the schools in for being willing to serve as Education Sec- California. And we had this organized effort retary. He has established a remarkable to get everybody else to do it. And within record already, and we just got started. And no time, the amount of activity outstripped I thank him. the organization; people just went on and did I thank Senator Coverdell and Congress- it, just like you're doing. And that's what you man Norwood for coming down here with want to happen. me on Air Force One today, along with Sen- ator Cleland. I have to tell you this: I've So I'm very hopeful, I'm very excited, and known Max Cleland for a long time. I admire I hope that now we can just hear from you. him for many things. When we go back home And Mr. Swearingen, I think you're going on Air Force One today, he will be landing to run this show, soÐÐ at Andrews Air Force base for the first time Carl Swearingen. We'll try, sir. since he landed there as a terribly wounded The President. ÐÐthe floor is yours. veteran from the Vietnam war. He has come a long way, and we are proud of him. NOTE: The President spoke at 1:17 p.m. in the I'd like to thank the other students who Physical Education Athletic Complex at Augusta are here from the Augusta Technical Insti- State University. In his remarks, the President re- tute and its president, Terry Elam; Dr. ferred to Gov. Zell Miller of Georgia and Carl Francis Tedesco and the students of the Swearingen, chairman, Georgia's Partnership for Medical College of Georgia; Dr. Shirley Excellence in Education. A portion of these re- Lewis and the students of Payne College; and marks could not be verified because the tape was of course, the students and faculty of Augusta incomplete. State. Thank you for being here. VerDate 05-AUG-97 08:27 Aug 18, 1997 Jkt 010199 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 E:\TEMP\P06FE4.005 p06fe4.