William Helms: “on March 14 of this year, one of the most impressive young men I have ever met came to my office, accompanied by his…”

“on March 14 of this year, one of the most impressive young men I have ever met came to my office, accompanied by his justifiably proud mother. Lucius Wade Edwards, 16, had just come from the White House. He had visited with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton who praised him for having been 1 of the 10 finalists in a contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Voice of America. His father, John R. Edwards; his mother, Elizabeth Anania Edwards, and his younger sister, Kate, accompanied him to the White House living quarters for his visit with Mrs. Clinton. Wade was being honored for his having written a poignant essay entitled, What It Means To Be An American. Wade described going with his father to vote. It was, as I said at the outset, Mr. President, March 14, 1996, when Wade and his dear mother stopped by my office. Three weeks later, on April 4, Wade died in an automobile accident that involved no carelessness, no recklessness, no failure to wear his seatbelt. It was just one of those tragic things that happen, and it snuffed out the life of this remarkable young man.”