(Monuments Men (from left to right): Bernard Taper, James Reeds, Harry Ettlinger, and Horace Apgar)

One year ago I had a sleepless night at the business center of a really crummy hotel in Washington, D.C. Through the wee hours of the morning I drafted and redrafted the speech I would deliver later that day — the 63rd Anniversary of the D-Day landings - -at the Senate Ceremony to recognize and honor the Monuments Men of all 13 nations.

Events of June 6th, 2007 unfolded in the most dignified manner befitting the contribution of these men and women during World War ll. That this would be the last trip taken by my father before his death earlier this year was something I sensed might happen. So his presence, in particular the visit on June 5th with the Monuments Men and their spouses to the World War ll Memorial, made this the experience of my life.

How did we pull it off? Angels, pure and simple. Congresswoman Kay Granger and her staff invested countless hours helping us. We will always hold her special for she was the first person to ask, "how can I help?". Others followed, Senators, members of Congress, staffers, organizers, and others whose help made our plans a reality. But behind the scenes, two people stand alone without whom we would not have succeeded.

(Karen Evans)

Christy Fox and Karen Evans love these men. Every waking hour has been spent helping me do my job, helping me garner the recognition they deserve. I, alone, have received the media attention, but their toil in the trenches has enabled us to experience the success attendant to this project. Karen spent a week in Washington preparing to receive the Monuments Men and their families while looking over my parents and all the details of the lunches and private dinners we hosted. Not a detail was overlooked. Such has been her dedication to these men and one woman these past 4 years, day in and day out. She regularly speaks with them, offers words of encouragement when illness strikes, finds little ways to show them the respect and love she feels for who they are and what they did. No amount of recognition would be too great for her endless dedication to them.

(Christy Fox)

Christy Fox once commented about my respect for elderly people. I can’t recall a more rewarding compliment. But it is Christy who sets the example. The depth of her respect and love for these men is immeasurable. She helped me carry 100 copies of my book, 6 at a time, each of which weigh 4.6 pounds, into the Senate buildings which took us three full days. We personally delivered each one to a Senator and explained who the Monument Men were and why they were important as part of our effort to gain support for the Senate Resolution. Her credibility with the media allowed her to obtain coverage few organizations of any size could ever obtain. Her pitch was genuine, well prepared, and timely in every instance. She hates the limelight as does Karen, yet without her the events of a year ago wouldn’t have happened.

It is wise to remember our achievements and the hard work that went into making aspirations realities. But it is essential that we also recognize two people whose dedication and sacrifice produced the results that followed. In honoring these heroes they did themselves honor. On behalf of the Monuments Men, we salute you both!!!

(Congratulating the Monuments Men of all 13 nations at the Senate Ceremony on June 6, 2007)

Our nation’s extraordinary gallery of works of art is blessed in so many ways. The most recently built of the world’s great national museums, it contains an encyclopedic collection of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints and many other cultural items. But many people do not know it also serves as the custodian for important select documents which it has received through gift or bequest over the years. The documents of greatest interest to me are of course the papers of some of the Monuments Men and women, many of whom worked at the National Gallery during some part of their career. In fact, the National Gallery and its staff served as the headquarters for the early work which led to the Roberts Commission from which emanated the Monuments Men.

I was at the research facility for almost a week recently conducting research for my next book on the Monuments Men. The research area is wonderful to work in and incredibly well organized. Headed by a team of experts in document preservation — Maygene Daniels, Anne Ritchie, Michele Willens and Jean Henry, our work was greatly aided by their thorough preparation for our visit. As taxpayers, we have a lot of benefits for the money we pay that may not be obvious when writing that check to the Internal Revenue Service. Use of our National Gallery and the admission price — IT’S FREE — are but one great example.

While there I was comfortably ensconced in a beautiful wooden chair. Only on the fourth day did I actually stop for a moment to examine it. Wouldn’t you know: it, too, was gift of the Mellon family in 1999. Their benevolence and generosity to our nation is truly immeasurable. Paul Mellon’s father, Andrew Mellon, not only developed the idea for a national museum, he also donated the funds ($10 million in the 1930’s!!!) needed to build it. There was more: he donated his incomparable collection to the nation which now graces the building’s beautiful rooms. Realizing the critical needs at that formative stage, Andrew used his contacts and influence to encourage the nation’s other great collectors — Sam Kress, Joseph Widener, and Chester Dale — to donate their collections to the nation too.

I was hardly surprised then when I saw the plaque nearby that told me about these great chairs…and what an appropriate part of history they play in this great institution.

Thanks to the open generosity of the National Gallery Archives team with our work.

(Mrs. Edith O’Donnell, Ms. Serena Rich, Director of Arts Program at O’Donnell Foundation, and NEH Chairman Dr. Bruce Cole at the Nasher Sculpture Garden for the announcement of Picturing America.)

On April 16 I was proud to be the master of ceremony at the Nasher Sculpture Garden in Dallas for the announcement of the National Endowment for the Humanities newest educational initiative, Picturing America. NEH Chairman Bruce Cole, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, Loriene Roy, President of American Library Association, Dr. Michael Hinojosa, Superintendent of Schools of Dallas Independent School District, and others participated in the ceremony to introduce this exciting program. In fact, Dallas was the very first city of six (Atlanta, New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco) to receive this program.

Picturing America will provide forty iconic American images - from Gilbert Stuart’s incredible painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware to James Karales’s unforgettable photograph of the 1965 civil rights march to Selma. These forty images plus lesson plans and teacher’s guides will be gifted to schools and libraries across the nation at no cost! By the day of our announcement, more than 30,000 schools had already applied to receive Picturing America.

This creative program brings museums and art galleries into the classrooms of our nation’s schools by affording kids and their teachers the opportunity to experience images works of art in a first hand, tactile way. It creates an innovative solution to the practical difficulties of getting all our school kids into museums to be exposed to these masterpieces. (To learn more about the Picturing America program please click on the following link: http://picturingamerica.neh.gov.

The NEH has allocated substantial funds to enable thousands of schools to receive Picturing America at no cost. However, like all organizations, the NEH doesn’t have limitless capital. For that reason, the ability to fund this great program for all schools and libraries that apply will ultimately depend on private donors. Wealthy cities such as Dallas have the resource base to seek and obtain such financial support: many smaller towns and communities in our country do not. For that reason, I was so please that the O’Donnell Foundation of Dallas stepped forward to make an important donation to the National Trust for the Humanities to help underwrite Picturing America. Edith and Peter O’Donnell have been such great philanthropist to our nation, in particular in the arts and educational arena. I hope their act of wisdom and generosity encourages others to come forward and support this wonderful program.

For those interested in learning how they can help support Picturing America please contact Ms. Mindy Berry, Senior Advisor to the Chairman, at mberry@neh.gov.

(Another happy day with my friend, Dr. Bruce Cole.)

Emanuel Leutze (American: 1816 - 1868), Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of John Stewart Kennedy, 1897 (97.34). Photograph © 1992 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The National Endowment for the Humanities
Cordially Invites You to Join

The Honorable Bruce Cole
Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities

Robert M. Edsel
President, Monuments Men Foundation

Loriene Roy
President, American Library Association

Daniel Schneider
Acting Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
and

at
Nasher Sculpture Center
for an event focused on

Picturing America provides an innovative way for citizens of all
ages to explore the history and character of America
through some of our nation’s greatest works of art.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 1:30 pm
In Nasher Hall ◦ 2001 Flora Street, Dallas, TX 75201 ◦ Reception to follow.

The National Endowment for the Humanities wishes to thank the following:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Smith

National Trust for the Humanities

The vicissitudes of life are beyond description sometimes. As we were preparing to head home for some rest after an emotionally wrenching week, I received a call from our contact at CBS who was letting me know that the segment on the Monuments Men and my work with them will air THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 27. Click here to view the show times in your area. If you live in Dallas or the central time zone, the program begins at 8am. As Dickens wrote, “…these are the best of times, these are the worst of times…”

It’s been so cold in Dallas this week it’s hard to recall how warm it felt when the CBS crew visited Dallas on one of several shoots to conduct part of the interview, but it was indeed a beautiful day. This great program is one of the few left that has the luxury of dedicated time for in-depth reporting of stories. It is not surprising then that many of their staff also have worked at or do work at CBS’ other award-winning program, 60 Minutes. They were a joy to work with and their enthusiasm for the story readily apparent. I hope you will have an opportunity to tune in and see the show.

A TRIBUTE TO MY FATHER

A. RAY EDSEL

(1926 - 2008)

His given name was Alpha Ray, but his friends often called him A. Ray. Some even referred to him as “THE Ray” stating that there was no other like him. It was a little confusing for a young boy growing up hearing his dad called all these names…Alpha Ray, A. Ray, “THE Ray”…but it was easy to see the esteem and affection so many people had for him.

As kids, we all were impressed with his mastery of foreign languages. We would be awakened on school mornings by exotic phrases such as “hobba hobba e so gay”, and “Jo toe nigh”, no doubt a hold-over from his days as a Marine. The first of these defied translation; the second meant “Drop your rifle!”

Dad had other interesting phrases that he used throughout his life. For all his varied abilities, patient reading of instructions on how to assemble toys on Christmas Eve wasn’t one of them. While spying on him from the closet one Christmas Eve, I could here him say repeatedly, “Well I’ll be go to hell”. Only sometime later did I realize that “I’ll be go to hell” wasn’t one of the instructions.

Dad left an indelible legacy on the investment banking community in Dallas. From the time he opened Smith Barney’s first office in the southwest in 1960, he spent almost 40 years hiring, molding, and nurturing one great talent after another, both men and women. He successfully navigated the precarious undertaking of combining business relationship with friendship. It was second nature to him.

In the course of his career a number of the other brokerage firms in Dallas were at one time or another run by someone he hired and trained. Many others had long distinguished careers at Smith Barney. I recall one such fellow who was aggressively recruited out of business school by both Smith Barney and another prized competitor years later telling me: “During the interview with your dad a secretary stepped in to tell him that one of his biggest customers was on the phone and wanted to speak with him. After confirming that it wasn’t an emergency he told her that he would return the call because he was in a very important interview. I thought to myself, “that’s the kind of man I want to work for—and I did.”

Dad took endless pleasure in the success of those he hired yet I never heard him accept an ounce of credit. It was part of his philosophy which he instilled in us: when people see you doing all you can to help yourself, they will then help you. Dad loved helping others.

In the years after Smith Barney, Dad continued his lifelong love of reading, always seeking new ideas that might provide a good investment. And our significant others always enjoyed hearing about them. What better way to make an impression on your son’s girlfriend than introducing her to the upside of an investment in windmills! Truth was, they DID find it interesting because Dad’s youthful enthusiasm and self-deprecating humor captivated everyone.

The last few years threw one malady after another at him, but he never faltered. Instead, he seemed even happier, his determination to overcome the illness du jour strengthened. Most days he would come into the office with his lunch, and then begin his day by offering some of it to anyone there. Only a few months ago he walked up to one of my assistants and said, “How about half of this wonderful apple? I’d give you the other half too but I ate it.” His life long love of people grew even more. On our weekly visits to Café Pacific he regularly turned a two minute trip to, as he referred to it, the “little boy’s room”, into a series of conversations with every diner in the path of the restroom—in both directions! It was fun to watch.

General Dwight Eisenhower, perhaps history’s greatest leader, wrote the following in a letter to his West Point classmate and friend, Vernon Pritchard, but it equally described the characteristics Dad possessed:

“This is a long tough road we have to travel. The men that can do things are going to be sought out just as surely as the sun rises in the morning. Fake reputations, habits of glib and clever speech, and glittering surface performance are going to be discovered and kicked overboard. Solid, sound leadership, with inexhaustible, nervous energy to spur on the efforts of lesser men, and ironclad determination to face discouragement, risk, and increasing work without flinching, will always characterize the man who has a sure-enough, bang-up fighting unit. Finally, the man has to be able to forget himself and personal fortunes.”

Through all the setbacks of his life, in particular the gradual loss of his health, he never complained. Instead, he became even more focused on helping others by offering an upbeat word or sharing a valuable, perspective-restoring observation from someone who had been a part of an amazing time in our collective history. Even Saturday, before his surgery, his spirit was undiminished. When we arrived at the hospital that morning, we asked him if he’d had any success flirting with the nurses overnight to which he replied, “No, but I’m still tryin’”. It wasn’t surprising to us when, later that day, after he’d left us, each doctor, nurse and assistant in the Intensive Care Unit told us what a privilege it had been for them to get to know Dad, even for the brief time they had cared for him. He was just that kind of guy, that special.

Alpha Ray, A. Ray, “the Ray”, would have wanted you all to know how much he loved you for the great life he was blessed to enjoy. He would want to say “thanks” to the city of Dallas and this community in particular for all the opportunities it provided him to raise a family, build a career, and make so many friends who made his life so meaningful. He would ask all of you to take care of his loving wife, our Mom, in the days ahead. And he’d probably remind each of us that it takes as much effort to be happy as it does the alternative, so leave here with a smile because there’s so much for which to be thankful.

In closing, I want to share with you the words of the great poet Khalil Gibran:

“Let not the waves of the sea separate us now, and the years you have spent in our midst become a memory. You have walked among us a spirit, and your shadow has been a light upon our faces. Much have we loved you. But speechless was our love, and with veils has it been veiled. Yet now it cries aloud unto you, and would stand revealed before you. And ever has it been that love knows NOT its own depth until the hour of separation.”

My father, A. Ray Edsel, died Saturday afternoon. We had him with us for 81 wonderful years during which he touched thousands of lives with his positive attitude and good sense of humor.

He will be buried on Wednesday followed by a celebration of his great life at 11am at the Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas. I know the church will be filled with family and friends gathered to remember a man we all admired and loved.

After a battle of wills during my adolescent years, things between us calmed. We seemed to find common ground in our mutual interest in business, especially once my career in the oil and gas exploration business commenced. Dad always dreamed of being in that business, but much as he loved it, it was a close second to his affection for the stock market. Still, he lived through the experiences of my oil and gas company and the many sagas that my gifted brother, Jim, and I always seemed to encounter–and overcome.

The personal crises that regularly find us as we enter our thirties not surprisingly caused a strain between us. We each had strong beliefs in how matters of such an intimate nature should be handled. Still, with the passage of time those conflicts didn’t last long nor did they linger. Rather, a friendship evolved that allowed mutual respect. I admired his simple manner, his great attitude, his amazing sense of humor and perspective. It took me years of experiences to understand the achievement of those resilient qualities he possessed and honed. He admired my accomplishments at every milestone, none more so than those of the past seven years. But he equally cherished Jim’s business success and his remarkable family, and Anne’s role as a wife and mom.

The events of 2007, however, rose above all others and put us both in a wonderful place, so often together to savor the moment. None stands more meaningful than our trip to Washington for the Senate Ceremony to honor the Monuments Men on June 6th. The day before, we arranged for several buses to take our group of Monuments Men and their families to the World War II Memorial, a site Dad had not visited or seen. Because the trip involved alot of walking, we were able to persuade Dad to use a wheelchair. Even though it was warm and humid as you would expect in Washington that time of year, Dad wore his fedora and a cashmere jacket due to his perpetual battle with feeling cold as his illnesses progressed. It made for a very stylish statement, however, this kind looking man filled with enthusiasm experience this place of honor being wheeled around the Memorial on a beautiful, sunny, summer day.

It was a great day for me….almost a “Field of Dreams” experience, to be at the World War II Memorial with 4 Monuments Men and my father. But it was also a “work day” — a phrase Dad so wisely drilled into all of us — so I also had to make sure everyone was taken care of while conducting a newspaper interview and filming the whole scene including interviews of the Monuments Men.

As we were finishing, almost two hours into our visit, it occurred to me that inasmuch as I had the camera crew with me, I should interview Dad about his experience as a Marine in the Pacific. I pushed his chair south towards the Pacific side of the Memorial. On both the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the Memorial, there are water basins with the names of the major battles fought in each respective theater inscribed atop the low retaining wall. My Dad fought in many of them. As I pulled his chair backwards, with the camera crew in front of us filming him, he looked to his right and called out each place…Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, and so on…until the wheelchair was next to the names of the places where he landed and fought…Saipan, Okinawa, Japan. Then came the stories…stories of destruction, death, horror…and good fortune…that a simple man, born of few means, survived the greatest war in history and went on to lead a bountiful and rich life. It was a powerful and moving experience.

Other awards and events followed in 2007, but each occurred coincident with Dad’s increasing immobility, so he enjoyed those moments vicariously through my mother. And that was somehow fine with me because I knew that I had him with me for the one moment in time that meant the most to him…and to me. It was perfect.

So the circle of life does what it does, and we are all sad to know that Dad isn’t here to amuse us, lift us up, make us wonder how he was always so positive and resilient no matter how bad things at the time seemed…and yet we are so grateful to have known this loving man who always had a kind and funny word for anyone and everyone, who loved life more than anyone we have known. All those who met him much less knew him are better for the experience. Can there be a more meaningful definition of success?

(David Rubenstein)

Our nation came precariously close to losing the perhaps the most important document in the world — the Magna Carta. Some refer to this documents as the “birth certificate of freedom”. The Magna Carta dates to 1297!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is one of only 17 known copies of a document that defined “human rights as the foundation for liberty and democracy” as we know it today. All other versions save one (in Australia) are located in Britain.

This version is in particularly fine condition. It was previously owned by the Perot Foundation having been purchased by Ross Perot in the 1980’s for about $1,500,000. Since 1988 the document was on loan to the National Archives in Washington, D.C. where it was on view in the same room as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Some have estimated that as many as 40-50 million people have since seen it.

(At Sotheby’s, just minutes before the Magna Carta was sold)

Ironically, the very day we were donating the “Hitler Albums” to the National Archives, the Magna Carta was being picked up to be taken to Sotheby’s in New York for sale by the Perot Foundation. It seems they decided to sell this irreplaceable document of civilization to raise money for their already heavy commitment to medical research. Ross Perot has been and is a great patriot of this nation; much of what he does to help others occurs behind the scenes. Still, it seems to me that this sale created a terrible risk that, with our very weak dollar, investors, collectors and speculators from other parts of the world would swoop in to purchase this incredible part of history.

In steps a new patriot, one less visible to the public than Ross Perot but a person who understood the importance of the Magna Carta to our nation and was determined to purchase it and return it to the National Archives: David Rubenstein. After successfully purchasing the document at a short but exciting sale Tuesday night in New York, Mr. Rubenstein stated graciously that “it was a way for [me] to repay a debt that I have to the country.” Not surprising to me was the fact that his first congratulatory call came from Professor Allen Weinstein, Chief Archivist of the United States, who was both relieved and delighted to learn that the Magna Carta was headed back “home”.

Congratulations to David Rubenstein. He has given our nation a “Christmas gift” of inestimable value for all time. Our nation owes him a big “thank you”!!!

Last Member of Bloomsbury Group honored for WWII Service

London, England (December 3, 2007) — This morning, Anne Olivier Popham Bell was honored for her service during World War II as a member of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section (“MFAA”), at a ceremony at Winfield House. Ambassador Robert H. Tuttle, his wife Maria, and Robert M. Edsel, President of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, presided over the event at which Mrs. Bell was presented with a flag of the United States which had flown over the United States Capitol in her honor, as well as a gold leaf copy of the Congressional resolution that was passed on June 6, 2007, which recognized the heroic efforts of the “Monuments Men” as they were more commonly known.

The “Monuments Men” were a group of 345 men and women from thirteen nations who together worked to protect monuments and other cultural treasures from the destruction of World War II. In the last year of the war they tracked, located and ultimately returned more than five million artistic and cultural treasures stolen by Hitler and the Nazis. The resolutions were inspired by Mr. Edsel, who founded the Monuments Men Foundation earlier this year to preserve the legacy of the unprecedented work of the Monuments Men by raising public awareness of the importance of protecting and safeguarding civilization’s most important artistic and cultural treasures from armed conflict. Mr. Edsel’s exhaustively researched book, Rescuing Da Vinci, reveals and recounts the exploits of these unsung heroes.

On this important occasion, Mr. Edsel said: “The men and women of thirteen nations who collectively comprised the “Monuments Men” set the standard for the protection of cultural treasures during armed conflict. After the war they spent years locating and returning millions of works of art and other items to the countries from which these treasures had been stolen. England contributed greatly to the Monuments Men with such prominent figures as Sir Charles Leonard Woolley, Lt. Colonel Geoffrey Webb, and Major Ronald Balfour. Anne Olivier Popham Bell played an important role in the post-war work of the Monuments Men. Although we hope our ongoing research efforts identify other living Monuments Men, today we know of only twelve, including Mrs. Bell. It is an honor to formally bestow upon her the recognition of the United States for her important wartime service.”

Ambassador Tuttle stated: “My wife Maria and I are keen lovers of art and cannot conceive of a world bereft of so many famous artworks. It is due to the hard work and bravery of the men and women of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives program, some of whom paid the ultimate price and died in the process, that so many treasures were safely returned to their rightful places at the end of World War II for future generations to enjoy. I am delighted to honor Mrs. Bell today, and through her the entire work of the MFAA.”

Anne Olivier Popham Bell, a Civilian Officer Grade 2, was well prepared for work with the MFAA, as she studied art history at the Courtlauld Institute from 1934 to 1937. Her father, A.E. ‘Hugh’ Popham was a distinguished authority on Italian drawings, and Keeper of the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, which collection was transferred for safety to Wales in advance of the German Blitzkrieg on London. Anne Popham’s ‘war work’ began in 1941 when she joined the Ministry of Information as a research assistant, first in the Photographs and then in the Publications Divisions, largely concerned with the production of informative booklets on the British war effort published by His Majesty’s Stationary Office. In 1945 she transferred to the MFAA Branch of the Control Commission for Germany, and from October was stationed at Bünde in Westphalia, the Divisional Headquarters where she acted as coordinator to the work of the Branch’s officers on the ground. Her detailed diaries of her daily activities are preserved in the Imperial War Museum in London.

Following her return home from Germany in 1947, Popham joined the Art Department of the Arts Council of Great Britain, where she was engaged in the preparation of major exhibitions in London and the provinces, and in editing their authoritative catalogues. In 1952 she married Quentin Bell, who was to become Professor of History and Theory of Art at both Leeds and Sussex Universities. He was the son of Clive and Vanessa Bell (the artist), central figures in the ‘Bloomsbury Group’, of which Vanessa’s sister, Virginia Woolf, was a participant. After raising three children, Anne worked closely with her husband on the research for his acclaimed 1972 biography of his aunt Virginia Woolf, and thereafter undertook the editing of her complete Diary (5 volumes), for which she was appointed FRLS and given two Honorary Doctorates.

Mrs. Bell stated during today’s ceremony, “I am very touched that Americans have seen fit to commend the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives with this honor, and to extend the recognition to the British contingents. I am very grateful.”

Following those remarks, Mrs. Tuttle presented Mrs. Bell with a beautiful flower arrangement from the Winfield House garden and stated “thank you for what you have done to preserve our past for our future.”

Attendees at the ceremony included Mrs. Bell’s children Virginia Nicholson, Cressida Bell and Julian Bell. Also present were Dr. Charles Saumarez-Smith, the Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Arts; Colin McKenzie, the Director of the Charleston Trust; and Stephen Walton, an Archivist in the Department of Documents at the Imperial War Museum, which houses Mrs. Bell’s wartime diaries.

Anne Olivier Bell currently lives in Sussex close to Charleston, the Bell family home now restored and open to the public by the Charleston Trust, of which she is senior Trustee. She is the only known MFAA survivor in England, as well as being a close link with the Bloomsbury Group.

Great leadership so often occurs quietly, frequently out of view. When you see a well-performing team, a company that regularly excels, or an organization setting new standards in a particular field, there is always a great leader inspiring others by example. (With rare exception, the opposite is true: bad leadership sets a powerful example that destroys an organization just as effectively.)

The Chief Archivist of the United States, Professor Allen Weinstein, is a great leader of our nation’s National Archives, repository of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights to name only a few of the most prominent documents among millions. He is the ninth archivist of our country, a man who is an accomplished historian and author in his own right. He is also a gentleman.

(Professor Chief Archivist of the United States, Professor Allen Weinstein and me signing the agreement to donate Album #8)

So often times the remarkable and most memorable moments of a big event are those that take place out of view of the public. Such was the case at the donation ceremony for the “Hitler Albums” that occurred two weeks ago at the National Archives. The signing ceremony to formally document the gift to our nation took place in Professor Weinstein’s office. Present were officials from the National Archives, my excellent and dedicated attorney Thomas Kline, people on my staff who had made the trip to Washington, and my mom and aunt. We had a few minute wait before our short walk to the Archivist’s Reception Room for the press conference which was filled with journalists from news agencies throughout the world.

As I stood in the doorway of Professor Weinstein’s office, he and I discussed the importance of what we were doing that morning–preservation of documents–and the irreplaceable role documents play in the lives of every person, business, and nation. Professor Weinstein reached inside the breast pocket of his suit jacket and pulled from it the Petition for Naturalization completed by his mother when she applied for citizenship to the United States. He opened it up and said to me, “this is where it all began for me; this is the document that tells me who I am and reminds me where I came from. I carry it with me everyday, everywhere.”

(Chief Archivist of the United States, Professor Allen Weinstein and me at the “Hitler Album” press conference at the National Archives.)

I had to catch my breath. Here I was, in the office of the Chief Archivist of the United States, with a common man in all the ways admirable, and exceptional in many other respects. The measure of the man–and the leader–was revealed to me in that moment as he demonstrated in the most personal of ways not only why documents are so important to him but why he is so supremely qualified to be the chief custodian of our nation’s documentary heritage.

During my life I have been enormously fortunate to be in the presence of many great men and women. One personal quality that is a common trait among them is humility. Allen Weinstein has that quality and more.