Ronald Reagan actually said...

"His melodies will live in our voices and warm our hearts for many years to come."

"New generations of audiences of all ages and backgrounds have taken Kern's melodies to heart and given them a permanent place in our American musical heritage."

"You've proven something I've always suspected: that when you hear a great tune, and you aren't quite sure who wrote it, you could guess Jerome Kern and 9 times out of 10 you'd be right."

"He wanted to go beyond the old-fashioned musical revues and bring forth a vigorous new art form, a story told in music."