Benutzerin:Monika Wirthgen/Meine Lieblingsgoldmedaille

Meine Lieblingsgoldmedaille

"On June 7, 2001, Washington lawmakers along with Schulz family members and friends gathered in the Capitol Rotunda for the posthumous presentation to Charles M. Schulz of one of the nation's highest civilian honors, the Congressional Gold Medal. Since 1776, Congress has bestowed the Gold Medal on about 300 extraordinary people, among them George Washington, John Paul Jones, Andrew Jackson, the Wright Brothers, Robert Frost, Jonas Salk, Walt Disney, George and Ira Gershwin, Winston Churchill, Bob Hope, Rosa Parks and Mother Teresa.

One of Charles Schulz's longtime friends and attorney, Edwin C. Anderson, was one of the speakers at the ceremony. Following is a transcript of his speech.

"President John F. Kennedy said that a nation reveals itself by those it honors, those it pays tribute to, and those it remembers. Today, America, the most powerful nation in the world, confers its highest and most distinguished civilian award upon a man who never sought power, never coveted wealth, never courted fame.

To the contrary, Charles Schulz was humble, unpretentious, generous to friends and his community, devoted to his family and always truthful to himself. Interviewers often asked him if he was a philosopher, humorist, writer, artist. His answer was always the same: 'I am a cartoonist' and 'If you want to know me, read my strip, for everything I am is there.' Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the Gang were in Sparky's heart and mind long before they became famous. They were with him when he was ice skating on the frozen ponds of Minnesota, and they were with him when he was playing sandlot baseball. They suffered with him on Valentine's Day and marched off with him when he was drafted into the army in 1943. They were with him in the late afternoons when he hurried to his father's barbershop to be there before it closed so that he could walk home with his dad. Virtually every experience Sparky had in life, from raising his family, to playing hockey, golf, and tennis, would be reflected in his strip.

In 1750, Benjamin Franklin recommended that drawing be taught in the academies and colleges because it is a kind of universal language understood by the people of all nations—ideas are better expressed, he said, when accompanied by a drawing. Two hundred years later, the young cartoonist from St. Paul, Minnesota would prove Franklin right. For the last half of the 20th century, Charles Schulz was one of America's foremost goodwill ambassadors. The Peanuts strip, reflecting American humor and American philosophy, was read and enjoyed each day by hundreds of millions of people in seventy-five countries making us realize that our fears, our frustrations, our hopes and our dreams are common to all.

Honored as he would have been by this prestigious award, it would have been his recognition as a cartoonist that would please Sparky most. He not only enjoyed a close friendship with many cartoonists but as they know, he took much pride in their shared profession. In one of Sparky's strips, a dejected Charlie Brown was walking off the baseball field when Lucy said to him, 'Don't feel bad, Charlie Brown, win some, lose some.' His face lit up as he responded, 'Gee, wouldn't that be great.'

Today, Charles Schulz—as a cartoonist and an American—wins a big one. And finally Charlie Brown gets it right—it is great. The poet Sophocles wrote, 'One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been.'

Privileged to call him friend . . . honored that he walked among us . . . the life of Charles M. Schulz has indeed been splendid."

— Edwin C. Anderson, 7 June 2001 Schulzmuseum