Release No 0509. 

Remarks

                               of
             Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman
                  Mike Espy Portrait Unveiling
                   USDA -- December 10, 1998
     "Secretary Espy, on behalf of your friends and family, on behalf of the
colleagues who have worked with you over many, many years, on behalf of so
many people who have stood by you and believed in you, this day is a long time
coming. In the Bible it says, 'weeping may endureth for a night, but joy
cometh in the morning.' Well, today is indeed a day of joy and of celebration.

     "Out on the front lawn of this building stands a mighty oak dedicated to
the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The placard in front of it reads,
'the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort
and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge.' 

If true, then we are here today to honor a giant among men. 

     "Mike Espy and I served together for years in the House of
Representatives. In many respects our paths through life have been
inextricably linked. Much of my time at USDA has been spent building on the
strong foundation he laid. Without question, I have stood on broad shoulders.

     "But I must say, I haven't always appreciated the work Mike has done. In
Congress, he was very helpful to my wife Rhoda in her work for the
Congressional Arts Caucus ... so much so that I was frequently reminded that
he did more for the arts than I did ... So, thanks Mike.

"I think most of the folks gathered here know Mike Espy as a son of the
Mississippi Delta; as the first African American Secretary of Agriculture; the
first African American Congressman from Mississippi since Reconstruction; a
spiritual man; a family man. But I think it's equally important that we note
that Mike Espy is a great cook who prides himself on his famous gumbo; he's an
expert in Tae Kwan Do who even had the guts to do a demonstration for the
President and the Cabinet .... in public; and, if we go back to the start of
his career, his very first bill was to establish National Catfish Day, which
    if you're from Mississippi you know is a very big deal.-

     "From all this, came America's 25th Secretary of Agriculture. As folks
here know, this is an unusual department. We are known as the Department of
Agriculture -- which for most folks conjures up visions of corn and cows.
Production agriculture is the core of what we do here. But I prefer President
Lincoln's moniker. He called us 'the people's department,' and from our work
for family farmers and ranchers, for rural America, fighting hunger, for food
safety, for the environment, for free and fair trade -- I believe that this
Department hands its leaders a golden opportunity to impact the lives of every
American every day.

     "And, you see in Secretary Espy's work -- on food safety, on trade, on
civil rights, on basic human rights -- such as bringing safe, running water to
homes and whole communities that never had it before -- you see at every
juncture a man relishing the chance to make a difference.

Yet, as life teaches all of us at some point or another, things don't always
go exactly according to design. There's an old Yiddish saying: 'if you want to
give God a good laugh, tell him your plans.' The Chinese also have a saying:
'the gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without
trials.' 

     "Any farmer knows that bad things happen to good people. But I believe
by and large good things happen to good people. That makes me excited to see
what the future has in store for Mike Espy.

     "You know, I'm from Kansas, and we Kansans don't make a habit of walking
around speaking Latin to one another. But I want to share with you our state
motto. It is 'ad astra per aspera -- to the stars through difficulty.' I think
it translates particularly well today. 

     "No person can avoid life's trials, but if you stand for what is right,
if you commit yourself to your fellow man -- by expanding opportunity in rural
America; by giving peace of mind to families at the dinner table; by guarding
the livelihoods of America's farm families; by protecting the land, water and
air which support all life; by helping piece together one America by working
to heal some of our nation's oldest and deepest wounds -- if you make these
efforts your life's work, as Mike Espy has, no one can take that away from
you. I hope that is one lesson that future generations who gaze on this image
take away. 

     "I am proud to see this portrait take its rightful place here at 'the
people's department.' But I am even more proud of the achievements it
represents. I have no doubt they will stand the test of time and leave a
lasting legacy for agriculture and for our nation."

Thank you."

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