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Skriven 2005-05-02 23:33:26 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0505021) for Mon, 2005 May 2
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President Honors 2005 Preserve America Presidential Award Winners
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 2, 2005

President Honors 2005 Preserve America Presidential Award Winners
The Rose Garden



President's Remarks
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10:25 A.M. EDT

MRS. BUSH: Thank you all. Thank you very, very much. Thank you. Welcome to
the White House. I'm thrilled that we can honor this year's Preserve
America Presidential Award winners here at one of America's most historic
homes.

These awards recognize collaborative efforts to protect and enhance our
nation's cultural and historical heritage, so that generations of Americans
will be able to experience. This year's winners provide a glimpse of life
as it once was lived, and they also encourage people to enjoy scenic beauty
of some of America's most gorgeous landscapes.

The projects we honor instill love of our great American traditions. They
educate Americans about our past and about our natural world. And they
demonstrate how communities can increase local pride and improve local
economies when they restore and showcase their history.

This month is National Preservation Month. It's a great month for Americans
to visit Preserve America sites. They're wonderful destinations for school
field trips, for family adventures, or even for a romantic getaway.
(Laughter and applause.)

It's now my honor to introduce America's history-buff-in-chief, George W.
Bush. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: A couple of funny lines one evening and she gets carried
away. (Laughter and applause.) Laura Leno Bush. (Laughter.)

We welcome you to the White House. We welcome you to the Rose Garden. I
hope you think it's as beautiful of a place as we do. (Applause.) And we're
honored to have some of America's outstanding community leaders and
preservationists with us.

Laura is a preservationist, she's done a lot of good work here at the White
House. She's helped restore the Cabinet Room. Most recently she restored
the Lincoln Bedroom, based upon old photos. And you've left your marks in
your communities and she's going to leave a great mark here in Washington,
D.C., as well. I'm really proud of her. (Applause.) And we're both proud of
the hard work you're doing to preserve historic resources in your
communities and helping to sustain the national memory for future
generations.

I appreciate Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, for joining us.
Welcome, Madam Secretary. And I want to thank Fran Mainella, who is the
Director of the National Parks system. Thanks for coming. I appreciate
Congressmen John Barrow of Georgia and Donna Christensen of the Virgin
Islands. Welcome. Glad you both are here. Thank you for coming. (Applause.)

I appreciate Bruce Cole being here. He's the Chairman of the National
Endowment of the Humanities. And I want to thank my longtime friend from
Texas, John Nau, who is the Chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation. Welcome. (Applause.) And Bobby, good to see you, Bobby.

Like you all, Laura and I want every American to have a chance to learn
about this country's history, and to enjoy our national treasures. So in
2003, we created the Preserve America Presidential Awards, to recognize
outstanding contributions to America's cultural and national heritage. The
efforts of today's award winners have drawn tourists to museums and towns,
created jobs and revitalized neighborhoods. They've also opened new
opportunities for learning.

The first Preserve America award winner we honor this year has helped
extend the legacy of one of Laura's favorite authors, Edith Wharton. When
we first moved to the White House, she was reading Edith Wharton's books.
Sometimes it was hard to get her to turn off the light. (Laughter.) By the
way, this wasn't the first time she read Edith Wharton's books, it was the
second time she read Edith Wharton's books.

And today we are proud to recognize the efforts of Edith Wharton
Restoration, to restore The Mount, the Massachusetts country estate of this
American literary icon. Edith Wharton once said that there are two ways of
spreading light: to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it. Your
work reflects her light, and will enrich our national heritage.
Congratulations. Thank you all for coming. (Applause.)

The second award recipient is close to our hearts. The Texas Heritage
Trails program has mapped out special driving routes through the state to
encourage regional tourism and bring some of Texas' proud history to light.
Parents can take their children on a drive to learn about pioneers and
cowboys. (Laughter.) That would not be the Dallas Cowboys, although they're
-- (laughter.) And as they do so, they get to see the great diversity and
beauty of the Texas landscape.

One potential visitor even expressed interest in riding the whole 650-mile
Texas Independence Trail on a bicycle. That was not me. (Laughter.) When I
move back to Texas, I can't wait to see the delights of the trail again.

Congratulations, and welcome. (Applause.)

Our third award recipient has restored a site almost as old as America,
itself. In St. Genevieve, Missouri, Bolduc Historic Properties has fixed up
some of the state's first French Colonial homes, right on the banks of the
Mississippi River. The restoration of the 18th Bolduc House has attracted
visitors from around the country and has drawn rave reviews. Historical
restoration is a job for --

MRS. BUSH: Eighteenth century. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: You've become a comedian and an editor. (Laughter.) We're
glad you're here. (Applause.)

Historical restoration is a job for perfectionists, as I was saying.
(Laughter.) And our fourth recipient teaches us an important lesson: If
something is worth doing, it is worth doing right. When the Historic
Savannah Foundation and Davenport House Committee discovered that an
earlier restoration on the Isaiah Davenport House Museum was historically
inaccurate, they started over. Isn't that right? And you got the job done
right this time.

The Davenport House inspired Savannah's unique ethic of preservation and
led to the restoration of hundreds of other historic buildings. The city of
Savannah has become a model for other towns to emulate. Tourists visiting
historic sites contributed more than a billion dollars to Savannah's
economy last year.

We welcome you here. Congratulations on doing well. (Applause.)

Again, Laura and I welcome you. Establishing the Presidential Awards is a
small way of encouraging acts of preservation around our country. We look
forward to giving the awards next year. We hope those who are listening
become inspired by the examples of our recipients. Again, we congratulate
our recipients and thank you for a job well done. May God bless you all.
(Applause.)

END 10:34 A.M. EDT
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