Memorial Remarks for Beverly Sills I adored Beverly. When we lunched, we used to tell anyone we ran into – if necessary, even the headwaiters – that we were one of the great love stories of the city and that we kept it secret by flaunting it. In an ultimate sense, this had the advantage […]
Remarks at American Academy of Diplomacy Fifteenth Annual Diplomatic Awards Luncheon honoring the late Joseph Sisco Joe Sisco was an original; when they made him, they threw away the mold. Indefatigable, dedicated, knowledgeable, a superb diplomat, and a skillful bureaucratic infighter, Joe was an indispensable colleague and a valued friend. We met in the early […]
Eulogy for Cyrus R. Vance Cyrus Vance devoted his life to the service of his nation and the search for peace in the world. Dedicated, tenacious, unflappable, self-effacing, Cy was a gentleman of what is now called “the old school;” we would all be better off had qualities such as his remained commonplace. We met […]
Eulogy for John Whitehead The ultimate challenge of a society is to bridge the gap between where it is and where it has never been. To travel that road requires, above all, character and courage: character, because the decisions marking the journey are always close; and courage, because the initial stages are always lonesome. Hence […]
Eulogy for Walter Wriston I loved Walt Wriston. We live in an age of extraordinary self-consciousness; its fashionable representatives tend to evaluate themselves by their image rather than their long-term accomplishments. The goal is effect rather than achievement; frequently, the two are confused with each other. Walt represented other priorities. His ambition was to do, […]
The World Will Miss Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew was a great man. And he was a close personal friend, a fact that I consider one of the great blessings of my life. A world needing to distill order from incipient chaos will miss his leadership. Lee emerged onto the international stage as the […]