The great Ronald Wilson Reagan said of Kate Smith when she was awarded America's Highest civilian honor, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1982, "The voice of Kate Smith is known and loved by millions of Americans, young and old. In war and peace, it has been an inspiration. Those simple but deeply moving words, 'God bless America,' have taken on added meaning for all of us because of the way Kate Smith sang them. Thanks to her they have become a cherished part of all our lives, an undying reminder of the beauty, the courage and the heart of this great land of ours. In giving us a magnificent, selfless talent like Kate Smith, God has truly blessed America!"
Kate Smith "stirred patriotic fervor" during World War II and contributed to selling over $600 million (equivalent to $10 billion today) of war bonds during a series of marathon broadcasts...
No other show-business star came near her as revenue producer of War Bonds to finance the United States' war effort. She had a radio, television, and recording career spanning five decades, which reached its pinnacle in the 1940s. Smith became known as The "Songbird of the South" after her enduring popularity during World War II... She is also a member of the Lake Placid Hall of Fame for her charitable work...
To Suzy Andron, one of Kate Smith's two nieces, she was simply known as "Aunt Kathryn..."
We are honored tonight to be joined by Suzy's husband, Bob Andron, who married Suzy in 1971... Their Aunt Kathryn moved down from NYC to live near them in the late 70's when she became ill...
Both Suzy and Bob attended the momentous occasion when their Aunt was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Reagan, who flew to Raleigh to present it to her. They also attended the unveiling of the famous statue erected of her at the Philadelphia Flyers stadium...
Tonight Bob will Join us to give their families' perspective of the heartbreaking situation created last week by "modern political correctness" when their Aunt out of the blue through "Leftist historical revisionism" is now suddenly being painted as a "racist!" ...Something she was never once called during her very honorably lived life!
In fact, for the historically ignorant & the politically motivated fools that have missed it, actually, in 1955, 24 years after singing (not writing) these supposedly "racist" songs, she was awarded a plaque commemorating a special (then famous) public speech she gave speaking out against "racism, bigotry, & intolerance!!!"
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