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REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
“AMERICA ON THE MOVE” EXHIBITION GALA RECEPTION
WASHINGTON, D.C.
NOVEMBER 18, 2003
7:00 PM
Good evening, everyone.
It is my pleasure to bring greetings on behalf of President Bush and Vice
President Cheney on this very, very happy occasion. We’re celebrating the
opening of this new permanent transportation exhibition, America on the Move.
It comes at a time when we’re also celebrating the good news that America’s
economy is on the move – with record growth, and the creation of a quarter of a
million new jobs in the past three months.
Among the things that this wonderful exhibition does so well is to draw
transportation’s essential links to commerce – from farm-to-market in the 19th
Century to international, intermodal transport in the 21st Century.
From the moment I first entered the America on the Move exhibition this morning,
I felt that I had come home. For two reasons.
First, I had the great privilege of serving as a member of the Board of Regents
of the Smithsonian Institution during most of the 20 years that I served in the
Congress.
I know the tremendous work that the men and women here at the National Museum of
American History do to preserve our history, and to educate the public. I can
think of no better example than this exhibition.
The second reason is that this exhibition opens in Santa Cruz, California, which
is just south of my hometown of San Jose, and was part of the Congressional
District which I represented.
It’s an area that I know well, and one that has been dramatically transformed by
changes in its transportation network. The railroad came to town and, as the
local newspaper, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported, provided a “connection to the
rest of mankind.”
Each new transportation advancement expands mobility and brings new promise of
economic development and prosperity. I saw that promise in my early days as
Mayor of San Jose. And you see that same theme repeated throughout this
exhibition.
For more than 30 years, my career has been devoted to transportation issues. So
naturally, I am fascinated by the historic treasures in this exhibition – such
as the John Bull locomotive, Garrett Morgan’s first traffic light, the
forty-foot slab of Route 66.
But even more thrilling is seeing how the National Museum of American History
has brought them to life.
There is something very real, quite compelling about the transportation story.
But it cannot be told in a vacuum, divorced from people.
America on the Move captures the vitality and the vibrancy that is the
transportation story.
This is an exhibition worthy of “America’s museum” – another reason to be proud
of my long and gratifying association with the Smithsonian.
I want to thank Gary Cowger, President of GM North America, and Ken Cole, GM
Vice President for Government Relations, and the team at General Motors for
their generous sponsorship.
And let me extend my heartfelt congratulations to Smithsonian Secretary Larry
Small, National Museum of American History Director Brent Glass, and all of the
many men and women who have put this outstanding exhibition together. It is
indeed a job well done.
Enjoy the rest of your evening, and keep America moving forward!
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