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Skriven 2007-05-25 23:31:06 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070525c) for Fri, 2007 May 25
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Remarks by the First Lady at the Sandra Day O'Connor Awards Luncheon
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For Immediate Release Office of the First Lady May 25, 2007

Remarks by the First Lady at the Sandra Day O'Connor Awards Luncheon
Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa Phoenix, Arizona



12:04 P.M. MST

MRS. BUSH: Thank you very much, Justice O'Connor, for your very, very kind
introduction. I'm honored to receive this award. Can you imagine anything
more thrilling than to receive an award named for Justice Sandra Day
O'Connor? (Applause.)

Most Americans know Justice O'Connor as the Arizona rancher's daughter who
became an accomplished lawyer, a devoted mother, a senior state lawmaker,
and a respected judge. President Bush and I are privileged to also know her
as a very good friend.

We've always enjoyed our time with Justice O'Connor, from informal outings
to social dinners to, most recently, just last week, the 400th anniversary
of the Jamestown settlement in Virginia.

I remember one luncheon Sandra Day O'Connor invited me to back in 2001 when
I was new in my job as a First Lady. She invited a group of friends to the
Supreme Court for a lunch, and she gave us a wonderful tour of the Supreme
Court building before lunch. And then when we sat down for lunch, we
learned that she had cooked the entire lunch. (Laughter.) What I learned
from that visit is that a seat on our nation's highest court is almost as
coveted as a seat at Justice O'Connor's kitchen table. (Laughter.) Talk
about a superwoman.

I admire Justice O'Connor for her work on behalf of women. From her days as
the nation's first female state senate majority leader to her historic
appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice O'Connor has opened doors for
women who would follow her, and has served as a role model to women and
girls across our country, and really around the world.

Her path was never easy. She completed high school at age 16. She graduated
magna cum laude from Stanford's undergraduate program. She finished law
school there in two years, serving on the Stanford Law Review, and as a
member of the school's legal honors society. Justice O'Connor even
graduated third in her class of 102 students. She did have some stiff
competition: The first in the class that year was Chief Justice William
Rehnquist. (Laughter.)

Still, no law firm wanted to hire a woman graduate. And only one firm
offered Justice O'Connor a job -- as a legal secretary -- contingent, of
course, on her typing ability. (Laughter.) Wisely, Justice O'Connor turned
them down. Apparently she had better things in mind.

Since those days in the early '50s, opportunities for women have grown
enormously, in part because of Justice O'Connor's pioneering efforts.
Today, people and organizations across our country are working to secure
equal justice and opportunities for women -- organizations like yours, the
Arizona Foundation for Women.

Through your research program, the foundation educates policy makers,
community leaders, and all Americans about the challenges facing Arizona's
women. Through programs like the Walk to End Domestic Violence, the
foundation helps abused women rebuild their lives with safety and dignity.
And through initiatives like the foundation's scholarship program, you're
helping Arizona girls realize the dream of a college education, and you're
preparing our country's next generation of women leaders.

Thank you very much for your dedication to Arizona's women. (Applause.)
Thank you for your dedication to Arizona's women. Thanks especially to
Caryll Kyl, Victoria Glimcher, and Sarah Suggs Cheek for organizing this
beautiful luncheon, which supports the foundation's work.

Congratulations to all of today's honorees, and thank you very, very much
for this award. (Applause.)

END 12:09 P.M. MST
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