These are the comments of Jay Whitney re: this address.
When I was just out of college working in Washington, D.C. for Admiral Rickover, my office was on Constitution Avenue in an old temporary building along the Reflecting Pond between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Because of Alex Bryant's urgings, I had gone several times to hear Martin Luther King speak at the Baptist Church in DC when he visited and spoke there. So when he led the march down Constitution Avenue in front of my office, I asked my boss if I could go hear his speech at the Lincoln Memorial. When I got back to my office, I received a call from the Admiral's office asking me to come see him. "Whitney, Claytor tells me you went to hear King's speech. What did you think?" "Admiral, it was the third best speech I've ever heard." "What were the two better speeches?" "Alex Bryant's original oratory and Jerry Fecht's dramatic interp." Actually, I responded, "Admiral, it was the second best speech I've ever heard." "What was the better speech?" "The speech I gave at my high school graduation." "Do you have a copy?" "Yes." (My mother had recently sent me a copy.) "Let me read it." So the next day I brought a copy of my speech to work and sent it to the Admiral. A little later in the day, I got call to go see the Admiral. "Pretty good Whitney, but not as good as King's."
Jay - A speech with generosity of spirit - and faith - which would be difficult for a high school valedictorian to give today. We thank your proud and dear Mother for saving it!
Jay - A speech with generosity of spirit - and faith - which would be difficult for a high school valedictorian to give today. We thank your proud and dear Mother for saving it! - Dan Baedeker
These are the comments of Jay Whitney re: this address.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was just out of college working in Washington, D.C. for Admiral
Rickover, my office was on Constitution Avenue in an old temporary
building along the Reflecting Pond between the Washington Monument and
the Lincoln Memorial. Because of Alex Bryant's urgings, I had gone
several times to hear Martin Luther King speak at the Baptist Church in
DC when he visited and spoke there. So when he led the march down
Constitution Avenue in front of my office, I asked my boss if I could
go
hear his speech at the Lincoln Memorial. When I got back to my office,
I received a call from the Admiral's office asking me to come see him.
"Whitney, Claytor tells me you went to hear King's speech. What did
you
think?"
"Admiral, it was the third best speech I've ever heard."
"What were the two better speeches?"
"Alex Bryant's original oratory and Jerry Fecht's dramatic interp."
Actually, I responded, "Admiral, it was the second best speech I've
ever
heard."
"What was the better speech?"
"The speech I gave at my high school graduation."
"Do you have a copy?"
"Yes." (My mother had recently sent me a copy.)
"Let me read it."
So the next day I brought a copy of my speech to work and sent it to
the
Admiral. A little later in the day, I got call to go see the Admiral.
"Pretty good Whitney, but not as good as King's."
Jay -
ReplyDeleteA speech with generosity of spirit - and faith - which would be difficult for a high school valedictorian to give today. We thank your proud and dear Mother for saving it!
- Dan Baedeker
Jay -
ReplyDeleteA speech with generosity of spirit - and faith - which would be difficult for a high school valedictorian to give today. We thank your proud and dear Mother for saving it!
- Dan Baedeker