Remarks at the Memorial
Service Honoring Malcolm Baldrige
Midge,
Megan, Molly, distinguished ladies and gentlemen: The day I called Mac Baldrige to ask him to join the Cabinet, I was told by
Midge I would have to call back later. He was out on his horse roping and
couldn't come to the phone. Right then I knew he was the kind of man I wanted.
It's
a gift to be simple, we're told. If that means to hold simple, strong, and
decent values, Mac had that gift. You could see it in the way he moved around
the White House. He seemed to know everyone, not just those in the public eye
but the secretaries and assistants, as well. And he treated everyone with the
same measure of courtesy and respect, from his driver to the President. He
never judged a man or woman by rank or trappings. Despite his many remarkable
successes, worldly success was not the way he measured people. No, money was not,
position was not, qualities of character were. Honesty, courage, industry, and
humility -- these were his yardsticks. And if you had these simple qualities,
you'd made it in his eyes, whether you were rich or poor, famous or unknown.
Language
was one way he decided if you were his kind of person. It's well known now that
he insisted on simple language in memos at the Commerce Department. He banned
phrases that were vague or redundant. He once said that the thing he liked
about cowboys was that they didn't talk unless they had something to say, and
when they said something, they meant it. To him, simple language did not mark a
simple mind, but a strong and fearless one. It was a sign of those who didn't
hide their meaning behind a cloud of ambiguous words.
Mac,
of course, never hid his opinions. Even if the tide was against him, he was
forceful and clear and unflinching. I always knew where he stood, and so did
the country. I could always count on him for the truth as he saw it, no matter
how unpleasant or unpopular. There were times the Cabinet came down on an issue
12 to 1, and he was on the short end. But I knew that if he believed something
that others didn't he wouldn't reign himself in and follow the herd. He would
step forward and be clear.
What
I'm saying about Mac Baldrige adds up to a simple but
extraordinary quality that I would call, more than anything else, American. In
his directness, in his honesty, in his independence, in his disregard for rank,
in his courage, he embodied the best of the American spirit. I suppose we think
of that spirit as living most of all in cowboys. And that's why I've always
suspected that it was more than just roping and his place here in
Let
me say a word about his many contributions to his country. These were not
simple, although they were built on simple principles, principles like his
reverence for the independence of the American character, for the freedom that
lets independence flourish, and for the opportunities of a free society. Mac
was an architect of American international economic policy during years in
which that policy moved to center stage. He also helped shape our policy
towards East-West trade in a period in which that was a source of new questions
and concerns. And perhaps the least recognized of his major achievements was
the securing of trade ties with
To
contribute so much required skill and persistence -- qualities Mac had in
abundance. It also required vision, vision not only for dealing with immediate
issues but for the future of the entire world and its economy, as well. I
always prized the quality of Mac's vision. He had the capacity to look up from
the dust of the plains to the distant mountains. He never forgot that all the
skirmishes and battles over trade policy that we have here in
I'm
told that Mac's staff had orders to interrupt him at whatever time of the day
with calls from only two people. I was one, and any cowboy who rang up was the
other. Well, I'm honored to have been in that company. Mac, as we know, left us
while he was doing what he loved most. And now, whenever any of us wants to
ring him up, we'll have to remind ourselves that he's out on a horse somewhere,
and we'll just have to wait. Yet in his simplicity, he has entered the company
of the men and women who have shaped our nation and its destiny, and he will live
in that company forever.
Yes,
there is sorrow, but the sorrow is with us and for us. We must believe that
door is opened that God promised and he has just gone through that door into
another life, where there is no more pain, no more sorrow. And we must believe
that we, too, will one day go through that door and join him again. Thank you.
God bless you.
Note: The President
spoke at