Bill Clinton: “Champions in Life May 1, 1996 Thank you very much. Let me say that whoever organized this program so that I could follow…”

“Champions in Life May 1, 1996 Thank you very much. Let me say that whoever organized this program so that I could follow Buddy Lee--[laughter]--should take up another line of work. [Laughter] Wasn't he wonderful? Let's give him another hand. [Applause] And thank you, Bonnie Blair, for your story and your example. Thank you, Ralph Neal, for letting us come here to Eastern. I thank the Senior High School Band, and I thank the wonderful Eastern High School Choir that sings for us every Christmas, I'm told. I thank the students from Elliot and Payne and the Head Start kids who are here; thank you. I want to thank Al Oerter and the representatives of the U.S. Olympic Committee and all the Champions in Life who are here. I am so honored to be here with you today. And I hope that all of you have enjoyed this just as much as I have and has gotten just as much as I have out of it. You know, I'm very proud that the United States is going to be hosting the Olympics again and that this is the 100th anniversary of the modern games. I'm proud that there will be people from 197 different nations coming here. And when I see these folks behind me, the Olympians and the Paralympians, I know that they will see America at its best. They'll see our diversity and our unity. They'll see that we have differences that don't divide us. They'll see that we understand individual excellence and teamwork. They'll see, as Buddy Lee said, that no champion wins alone, not in athletics and not in life.…”