It is my honor to be here today to celebrate the life and memory of Frankie Hewitt. I salute Frankie's memory on behalf of the Department of the Interior, especially the National Park Service, which owns Ford's Theatre. Frankie was well-known to every Secretary of the Interior for the last 34 years. My two years of working with Frankie were delightful.

When things did not work between Frankie and the National Park Service, Interior Secretaries got to know her better than some might have wished. Frankie Hewitt was a force to be reckoned with.

It all started when the restored Ford's Theatre and newly constructed museum opened to the public the day before Valentine's Day in 1968.

From the moment she conceived her dream of restoring live performances to the Ford's Theatre, Frankie Hewitt had obstacles to overcome. Let's just say that back in 1969 live theatre and the National Park Service were not necessarily a comfortable fit.

That is about when Secretary of the Interior Wally Hickel first got to know Frankie Hewitt. It didn't take Secretary Hickel long to determine that bringing actors back to the stage at Ford's Theatre was just a fine idea.

Over the years, I'm told Frankie had a way of knowing who in the Interior Department was the key to continuing the success of the Theatre. She always found the right person to lobby. She was effective because she cared so much, and she dreamed so high.

Two years ago Christmas, some top Interior personnel were present for the traditional "Christmas Carol" performance. But the weather that day was far from traditional, we were having an unusually warm December.

The heating and air conditioning system was separate-in that a chiller produced cold water for the piping in the summer and a boiler heated it in the winter. Since you can't put both hot and cold water in the same piping at the same time, there is a switchover problem.

Because of the difficulty with fine tuning, the heating system was working well. The heavy wool period costumes were in place and the actors were suffering under the lights.

When the performance ended, Frankie took our folks back to the dressing rooms to show them the ice packs some actresses were forced to wear in their corsets to endure their costumes in the heat.

Just a few months later, we began work on state-of-the-art improvements to the air conditioning and heating system.

As I said, Frankie Hewitt was a force to be reckoned with, and not just with Interior Secretaries-she knew Presidents as well.

President Ronald Reagan in April, 1984 observed after one performance, "Frankie Hewitt …played the central role in making possible this wonderful evening and every evening in this theatre."

In March 1991, President George Bush noted after a gals, that, "America's family is gathered here in America's theatre." He praised Frankie, saying, "Her vision brought about this theatre's resurrection…."

The current President Bush named her a recipient of the 2002 National Humanities Medal. He said, "By balancing a deep respect for history with a dynamic commitment to the performing arts, she has performed a great service to the District of Columbia and to our Nation."

I'm sure she appreciated the accolades from Presidents and others for her work. But I think she would say, "The play's the thing." She produced more than 150 shows in 34 years. At her death, tributes appeared in Variety and Playbill.-Praise in entertainment circles as well as political.

One of the ways we judge a life well lived is whether a person made some enduring change in the world. Without Frankie Hewitt, Ford's Theatre would be a lifeless shell. The spirit of this theater would have died on an April night in 1865. Instead, drama and laughter and song fill this place-as a tribute to a great President-and now, as a tribute to a great champion of the arts.

Poet Dana Burnet wrote: "The dreamer dies, but never dies the dream…" Ford's Theatre will continue to honor Abraham Lincoln's love of theatre and Frankie Hewitt's resurrection of that love.

Thank you,