Larry Pressler: “last Friday, the operatic tenor White Eagle passed away at age 43. My wife, Harriet and I join with countless others…”

“last Friday, the operatic tenor White Eagle passed away at age 43. My wife, Harriet and I join with countless others from around the world in expressing our condolences to his friends and family. Our Nation has lost an exemplary individual who had an extraordinary voice. White Eagle was a Lakota. His Lakota name was Wanbli ska. He first sang in public in his father's church. He was only 5 years old. It was the voice of the great Mario Lanza that inspired the young White Eagle to become an opera singer. In 1985, he graduated from the Merola Opera Program at the San Francisco Opera. He went on to perform with the Pennsylvania Opera Theater, the Florentine Opera, the Western Opera Theater, the Cleveland Opera, and the Skylight Comic Opera. Many of my friends and colleagues here in Washington should remember well White Eagle's rich tenor voice. In 1989, White Eagle performed the finale at the Inaugural Gala for President George Bush. Two years later, the President and I had the opportunity to hear and appreciate his extraordinary talent at the Golden Anniversary of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. And in 1993, he debuted in Carnegie Hall, and was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame as Artist of the Year. I am pleased that a scholarship fund has been established in his name. It is a fitting remembrance of his spirit, his leadership, and his legacy as a role model for native American youth.”