Bill Clinton: “Now, the National Humanities Medals. Ever since President Eisenhower asked the then 28-year-old Stephen Ambrose to edit…”

“Now, the National Humanities Medals. Ever since President Eisenhower asked the then 28-year-old Stephen Ambrose to edit his papers, he has animated history with stories of great leaders and average citizens whose common denominator is their uncommon heroism. With a storyteller's ear for narrative and a scholar's eye for detail, he puts us in the shoes of our most courageous Americans, from 19-year-old citizen soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy to Lewis and Clark as they opened the American West. His work has inspired Americans to make pilgrimages to long forgotten historic sites brought to life by his prose. Ladies and gentlemen, Stephen Ambrose. [The President and the First Lady presented the medal and congratulated Mr. Ambrose.]”