Thomas Daschle: “Willie Morris was one of the great under-recognized American writers of the 20th century. He grew up in Yazoo City…”

“Willie Morris was one of the great under-recognized American writers of the 20th century. He grew up in Yazoo City, MS--population 12,000--where he learned to tell stories by listening to old Black men who sat in the shade and whittled. He said their eye for detail helped him to see things he otherwise would have missed. At 34, Willie Morris became the youngest-ever editor of America's oldest magazine, ``Harper's Weekly.'' He wrote candidly about race long before most other white writers. Three years ago, Willie Morris died at the age of 64, leaving behind 19 books, many of them best-sellers. Like all great writers, a part of Willie Morris continues to live on in his words. But there is another part of him that lives on as well. You see, before he died, Willie Morris decided to donate his eyes in order to give someone else a chance to see. As it turned out, his corneas went to two different men, neither of whom he had ever met. One was black, one was white. His friends say he would have loved the irony of his gift: that a man who helped us see the world a little more clearly during his life is still helping people see after his death. America has changed since Willie Morris was a boy listening to the stories of those old men. We no longer accept legal discrimination. We no longer permit poll taxes to bar African-Americans from voting. We no longer tolerate ``separate but equal'' schools or water fountains or lunch counters.”