New England Tribute to Hubert H. Humphrey Remarks by Telephone to the Dinner in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Fritz, thank you very much, and Muriel, it's a pleasure to be speaking to all of you and particularly the friends of Hubert Humphrey who are assembled there.

I want to join you in the spirit of this evening and in your support of the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Few things would please him more than knowing that all of us are helping young people to continue their education and to become better prepared to serve society as Hubert himself served all of us in the American and world society. We'll carry on Hubert's work this way, and there is no higher honor we can bestow on a friend who gave so generously of himself.

Fritz and Muriel, as you know, shortly before he died, Senator Humphrey shared two of his last precious days with me. We spent a weekend together at Camp David, mostly in front of a fireplace, talking and listening. As you probably have guessed, Hubert did most of the talking and I did most of the listening.

We talked together about people, about ordinary people and about famous ones-many of whom I had not known myself. We talked about our country; we talked about the world, the overriding need for peace and security and about faith in others. And he particularly talked about faith in God.

He shared with me, as he has with many of you, a lifetime of hoping, of learning through experience, and of loving. He saw the world in terms of his human needs. I don't believe anyone else in politics anywhere could communicate so sincerely and so humanly about what needed to be done. He also saw life in terms of the joy of the struggle of it, the joy of work, the joy of life, and the joy of hope. Defeat was simply one more opportunity for Hubert Humphrey to try again and to try a little harder and to accumulate more friends on the way.

Those 2 days that I spent alone with him were an unforgettable experience for me, but it was just typical of many lessons that many of us learned from him. And we must never forget to pass those good lessons on to young people of succeeding generations.

As you all know, Hubert Humphrey did not want to be remembered with cold monuments, but with good works, and that's what we're doing tonight. We should all continue those good works as if Hubert were looking over our shoulders, urging us to go on and prodding us, also, to be optimistic, to be of good cheer.

The institute is only one part, a small but vital part of our living memory of Hubert Humphrey, and, as I close my remarks, I want to thank you for helping tonight and for the countless ways that we have of honoring him in our daily lives in the months and years ahead.

Muriel, God bless you. We loved him and we love you, too. Thank all of you for letting me be part of this fine evening, when together we start a new phase of honoring Hubert Humphrey by honoring the young people who find in him so much to admire.

Thank you very much. Good night, everybody.