Ladies and gentlemen and award winners:
I am very grateful to the Attorney General and to Mr. J. Edgar Hoover and to the other men and women of the Department of Justice who helped in the selection of these fine young men and women.
I regret that Solicitor General Cox was unable to be here today, but I am very proud to be here in the company of these outstanding young people, their parents, Members of Congress who found it possible to come here and enjoy this ceremony with us.
They are here as representatives of the many young Americans who perform great deeds of courage and important acts of service to their friends and to their communities. You know, we hear and read so much about delinquency that I know that all of us find special enjoyment in seeing these young people and hearing the Attorney General tell us of their outstanding deeds of heroism and bravery.
We tend to hear and read more about misdeeds than about good deeds these days, but what these young people have done is to remind us of all of the fine qualities of our fine youth. We all read of the young girl who was being attacked and stabbed to death while some 30 people watched in 'apathy. No one even called the police. When asked later why, they simply said they didn't want to be involved.
These young men and women here today were willing to be involved. They were involved, as all of us must be involved, if our country is to remain strong and free and if we are to achieve our goal.
So to Elaine, Marshall, Jean, and Gary, you have set an example for all of us by volunteering to help other people who are less fortunate than yourselves. So on behalf of a grateful Nation, I want to congratulate these young Americans, congratulate their mothers and fathers, their States, their neighborhoods which produced them. They are a great credit to their country.
We wish them well and we are delighted they could come here and visit the White House this morning.
Note: The ceremony was held at 11:15 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White House. During his remarks the President referred to the following members of the Young American Medals Committee: Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Solicitor General Archibald Cox.
The Attorney General introduced the award winners to the President. A summary of his remarks follows:
Elaine Marie Kieff, aged 14, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Forest Kieff of St. Bernard, La., and a student at St. Bernard High School, received an award for heroism and bravery. Elaine rescued from their burning home four of her younger brothers and sisters and two neighbor children before going for help, bringing the last child to safety just as the roof collapsed. All children would have perished had it not been for her effort and quick thinking.
Marshall Glass, aged 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Glass of Tampa, Fla., and a senior at Robinson High School, also received an award for heroism and bravery. Marshall swam 2 1/2 miles to rescue a lone 10-year-old girl from a sinking boat on stormy Hillsborough Bay, stopping long enough to make a kind of lifesaver for the girl's father, who had started the swim but became exhausted and had to stop. Although he suffered severe cramps from the cold water, which was also contaminated with sewage and known to have harbor sharks, Marshall was successful in bringing the girl to safety.
Jean Ann DeMaster, aged 18, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John DeMaster of Sheboygan, Wis., received a service award. As chairman of the Tri-High Y Club she worked with mentally retarded children, developing a variety of programs for them, and organized fundraising projects for the mentally retarded.
Gary Calnek, aged 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Calnek of the Bronx, New York City, a student at City College, also received a service award. Gary is permanent chairman of the 48th Precinct Team Council, organized to promote educational and social activities for teenagers in the community. Under his leadership it is now recognized as one of the outstanding Precinct Team Councils in the city of New York. He has also been active in the youth section of the National Conference of Christians and Jews and has assisted other groups in an educational program for Negro and Puerto Rican citizens desiring to vote.
Lyndon B. Johnson, Remarks Upon Presenting the Young American Medals Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/238888
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