Ronald Reagan actually said...

You know, when this good old house was built our country was little more than a band of towns, a very thin band, running along the eastern s...

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.