Ronald Reagan actually said...

Since that brilliant work, you've continued to make rich contributions to American letters with plays like 'The Crucible' and 'A View From t...

And today our nation has crowned her greatness with grace, and we gather this evening to honor five artists who have helped her to do so.

Yet they worked long and hard, following their dreams, and succeeded in bringing music, drama, and laughter into our lives.

We launched a major initiative in 1982 to nurture an appreciation of ties between us to enhance German-American contacts at all levels.