William Helms: “when Jimmy Stewart died last July, less than a year shy of his 90th birthday, which would have been today, millions of…”

“when Jimmy Stewart died last July, less than a year shy of his 90th birthday, which would have been today, millions of Americans of all ages felt they had lost a dear friend. They had grown up with great films such as ``It's a Wonderful Life,'' ``Harvey,'' ``The Philadelphia Story,'' and the one that's probably many Americans' personal favorite, ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.'' I was fortunate to get to work with Mr. Stewart during the 1970s when we were on the campaign trail across North Carolina. Dot and I will never forget travelling with him introducing him to the citizens who felt that they already knew him. Perhaps what I like most about ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' is the manner in which Jimmy Stewart and director Frank Capra captured the timeless principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence. In describing the them of the picture, Capra said: ``The more uncertain are the people of the world, the more their hard-won freedoms are scattered and lost in the winds of change, the more they need a ringing statement of America's democratic ideals.'' Jimmy Stewart, Mr. President, in a sense was playing a character modeled after Abe Lincoln.…”