God Blessed America With Kate Smith
It was a poignant, somewhat sad, and moving ceremony. An elderly lady elegantly attired in a black dress was pushed onto a stage in her wheelchair at the Raleigh Civic Center. The date was October 26, 1982, and the man pushing her onto the stage was none other than President Ronald Reagan. The lady in the wheelchair was Kate Smith, who, after a long and storied career in the spotlight, beloved by millions, had become immortalized in her own time as “America’s Songbird.” During her career she sold millions of records, and was a pioneering star of first the stage, then of radio, and, finally, of television. Known for her ardent love of faith and of her country, she was now, at the end of her life, being presented with the Medal of Freedom, the highest award that can be given to a civilian.
In awarding her the Medal of Freedom, President Reagan said: “The voice of Kate Smith is known and loved by millions.... In war and peace, it has been an inspiration.... In giving us a magnificent, selfless talent like Kate Smith, God has truly blessed America.”
The award was well and truly deserved because no entertainer, either before or since, has done so much for the American people and the country she loved, and done it so selflessly and with so much passion.
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