
Change and Challenge Salute to Youth

( NYC Board of Education Photo / WNYC Archive Collections )
Change and Challenge Salute to Youth. Presented by the New York Journal American.
The speakers include Arthur J. Rogers of the N.Y.C. Youth Board; Spyros F. Skouras of 20th Century Fox; Robert W. Dowling, of the Department of Cultural Affairs for New York City, Mayor Robert F. Wagner.
Simas Demus, President of General Organization of City Council High School hosts.
Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
WNYC archives id: 150573
Municipal archives id: T1317
This is a machine-generated transcript. Text is unformatted and may contain errors.
I'd like to express my appreciation and also congratulations to the charm and willingness and understanding of the young people and adults who are in the halls outside of city hall and are now located in the council chambers it is now my pleasure. And honor. To introduce the chairman of the day. His name is. A he. Saw I for short is the president of the general organization of city council of high schools of New York City a very handsomely and properly represent the youth of our city so. I have. Thank you Mr Rogers. Mr Rogers was the Kingsbury Smith distinguished members of the clergy and fellow students the best way to introduce our next speaker is to read to you the inscription on a plaque presented to him by the Motion Picture pioneers of America in one thousand nine hundred fifty it reads to an adopted son who taught the native born to prize their Americanism a fighter for freedom filled with unceasing zeal for our way of life I dedicated leader to the proposition that this screen is the unfettered servant of mankind for his services to his industry to his country and to the world we a claim him a pioneer of the year. In this short statement we have a whole biography A Biography of a man who achieved so much by sheer determination and willpower born in Greece spirit scores came to the marriage to America at the age of seventeen to join his older brother his first job was as a busboy in a St Louis hotel but undaunted he worked hard in shaved an old cliche but a formula that has proven true time and time again and in one thousand nine hundred fourteen he and his brothers purchased their first theater the Olympia from this twelve hundred seat employee Speirs Giovan to become president of twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation one nine hundred forty two and from there to chairmanship of the board upon his retirement in one nine hundred sixty two the real spirit is the founder of the Greek war really and a man who helped save some three million of his countryman from death by starvation the real spruce course is the tarnished worker for the N.C.C. J. and the man who served as chairman of the world Brotherhood movement and twenty other such organizations. The real spirit of course is the man who was cited by the United States Marine Corps and by the war agencies of the United States government for his outstanding services during World War two the real spirit. Is the busy man who comes here today to speak to you the youth of this city I give you Mr spirit scores thank you thank you very much. This is a great honor. For me and paid for. Me Our. As for Robert Wagner and for giving me the opportunity. To take part in this you know ceremony and sell you a young people of great city both as Americans and as citizens of the city of New York will feel proud and current state of the contribution the use of today is making to our community and we look with Hall and great expectation for the contribution it to will make tomorrow. Not only to our own city but to our country and the world since America. Because I Sumant their lives the city of the world we must provide the leaders as we fall all you have grows. And you had very smooth in this Iraq didn't lead changing world where science makes a Nortons strides daily where outer space is no longer the dark mystery it used to be where I was asked to nads and circle to go all in a matter of hours and where. In flight to the moon is dollar longer costs into that and the impossibility we can feel confident that the future. Is in good hands. In your hands a day. Full of youthful. And was here. You're preparing to meet the challenges of these times it probably is is reads and the fulfillment will be richer still the age of a paternity is still is as and I can not sure. That in America. The opportunities are greater now than. In the past there are no limits to our horizons in the America as I look at you. I feel great pride and great Hobbs and great enthusiasm. I remember as Mr Dealer said my only use. When as an immigrant from the. Last Congress I came to America. These ground these great land of opportunity. Fired to the idea and dreams of success and accomplishment. Has been good to me and to my brothers and has been and is good to all her children I say cut children because I think of this land as a loving mother always ready to in chorus to shout to assist. Sometimes to chastise but ever loving ever eager to applaud the soup says of her children I do not say that life is always easy it's not. In my case and out to my brothers this struggle was hard and it may be hard for you but for that very reason soup says when it comes which would come if you work hard is doubly gratifying. A Put reason to eat and success are in a new city of things but not on attainable I feel sure that you the youth of today I prefer doing well and are very eager to move the shared goal of the future of the the worlds of compass money and success all you need is faith and faith to see. A PIC get shown how to work as presently long hours of hard work honesty visual and the capacity to plan for the future and to dream. Plans A dreams do the common realities. Inevitably when one has determination the the will to succeed naturally in order to our companies to receive you most first give use doesn't in here today have already given you have concluded that you are services and you're useful Edwards's toward qual and sounds you know community projects. You know reaching your community and you the city you haven't reached yourself in Given all you had to sort of an effort to you had to gesture and you are schoolwork you are learning and you reaching your ourselves as Ruskell lasted achievements prove and you are prepared to take place in the wall of tomorrow to become its leaders and to go through a period to tell advancement and progress and peace because it is through advancement. And Lightman and progress that this would be a stop please. I mean deep proud to be German of these they say you to use rally and I want to go back to late you and there Wagner and the great newspaper the john American for making this did to our future religious possible by recognizing the achievements of the young people by following them corage in the our growth all world much. Bikes pretty expression our pride in them as useful productive citizens we show that we care for them that do take pride in their accomplishments that we are pledging them our combined effort in all the across octave and that young people of today. I salute you. Thank you thank you. Thank you Mr Scorsese I'm sure your words will be a source of inspiration to us in the future including the part about the hard work. Our next speaker is Arthur J. Rogers you've met him before is the executive director of The New York City Youth Board which has worked so hard to put on this celebration and permanent chairman of salute to youth week Mr Rogers. Thank you so. Achievement it does not come easy it represents work long hours sacrifice and dedicated to the fact that you've got to do it now and tomorrow is not the answer to today's problems as you are honored so are all of us honored here today at the outstanding representation of youth and adults at a function that marks a positive and encouraging and a happy note in our community this is the ninth year for us salute to you and it is my first year of I'm going and I worry about that word permanent Kim. Any day but in this capacity I wish to acknowledge deeply that this special event was instituted through the interest and initiative of our good friend Kingsbury Smith publisher of The Journal American. I might add that this is the only city in the United States that offers this type of recognition to young people for this colossal Scholastic and community achievement we are proud to do it I close on this note that your city is one of hope of accomplishment and opportunity you have started to reach for and take it thank you. Thank you Mr Rogers We will now hear from the Honorable Robert W. dolling cultural executive of the office of Cultural Affairs city of New York. Mr Youth chairman Mr Plame and Chairman distinguished guests. REVEREND WRIGHT I would like to tell you a little bit about this beautiful building it's the finest expression of this period of architecture probably in the world. As an exquisite piece of design and I hope you will enjoy it but I want to tell you that with the full approval of memoir now. The Citizens Committee for the Civic Center which will be built nof this building if you look out the windows and the northerly direction you will see buildings that are about to be torn down and all the way northward as far as Canal Street the new buildings and the reason I tell you this particularly is the Citizens Committee has recommended. A fine Civic Auditorium. To seat two thousand people so when it rains when it snows a when it's too hot you'll be inside of a building. And those who were unfortunate enough not to be able to come into this room will be ample accommodations for them and addition to this and so I hope that the youth orchestra which by the way I invite everybody to come and hear at Carnegie Hall up and Conny hall wouldn't be here were not for Mayor Wagner and the city administration. Which voted five million dollars for this building to buy it and some hundreds of thousands more to restore it when this you thought just to plays there do come and hear their full program now I'd like to mention that one of the thoughts of the Citizens Committee is to have this new auditorium not only a place to greet distinguished heads of state I visitors who we would like to welcome an honor but also that the Joe Papp free Shakespeare Company stead of been disbanded every fall going into. A different kind of work would be continued and play in this new auditorium and there also would be X. exhibitions of the arts of all kinds of which you were a part of this program so interested we've come a long way. When we can enjoy this. Truly fine orchestra are appreciative of the bands that we used to have outside taking nothing away from them this is a great great gain for us. As to our next speaker I'm sure he doesn't need a lengthy introduction you all know about him and about his work it gives me an honor a privilege and a pleasure to introduce to you today the Honorable Robert F. Wagner man of the city of New York thank. You. Very much Chairman of members of the clergy. Ladies and gentlemen and on March twenty ninth just five weeks ago out on the city hall steps where we had hoped to be had better weather that the citizens of New York honored the space heroes Virgil Grissom and John Young these two explorers of the vast unknown symbolized the finest qualities of our younger generation courage boldness of mind and self assurance so today we salute you the youth of New York City for exemplifying these same qualities it is now ten years since the first salute to you ceremony was launched with the help and inspiration of the New York Journal American at that time. And beloved Burks and talk to me about it and of course it has been followed through so well by Kingsbury Smith who is here today. In that decade the youth of New York City have made major contributions to our city and both service and leadership many of the youth who were on it in the past have gone on in life to become lawyers doctors musicians painters artisans craftsman scientists and teaches they have become fathers and mothers guiding the lives of their children along the road to accomplishment and fulfillment you here today have started the same way they did as helpers in the homes for the aged brightening their lives as volunteers in hospitals being in service and shared to the sick and disabled as homework helpers to children and disadvantaged neighborhoods in reading writing and arithmetic helping to keep these children in school I know that through this work you are acquiring the habit of service giving generously of your time for the benefit of others yet some people still ask what is wrong with our youth today those who ask this question know today's young people only through the headlines they do not know you yes we do have difficult problems with some of our youth today but we might also take note of the outstanding accomplishments of some of our you and the basic sound this of the great majority of our youth the alarmists look at the donut and see only the hole in it they don't see the Dow not itself we have great confidence in you we know of your achievements we know that this is only the beginning for you but what about that small minority of our youth who get into trouble in their names in the headlines for acts of vandalism and violence. Why have these young people gone wrong what can we do to help them and to help them help themselves. How can we channel the river of rebellion so that it will not waste itself or its power I cannot answer these questions fully but we think we are beginning to know the answers and that Mox some progress yes progress is being made the war on poverty and discrimination is one of our great hopes for today and for the future there are many projects represented in this total effort which will help by you find themselves through job training and remedial education the job call of the many community action programs such as mobilization for youth and high you act among others other efforts will be launched very soon in this direction youth Boyd two is participating in many ways to help by you know efforts being made to open up some a job opportunities for young people recreational facilities offer a broad gamut of activities or educational and cultural institutions provide you with more services and facilities and any other city in the world I City University offers to wish in free education to our young people and we are doing all we can to expand the opportunities and facilities for higher education and in general to help by you to find themselves some of you may be thinking of finding and making a career of service to and with you we need many more trained people to guide I used to the realization of their full potential we need good people in this work. You are here today because you are already helping in this effort and your accomplishments certainly give all of us great hope you are indeed a credit to your families your churches your schools and your neighborhoods they take pride in your service you add luster to the reputation of New York City and as mayor and as a parent I am proud of you at my direction the Youth Board and under the leadership of ASA Rogers here has been meeting since last late winter with the agencies and organizations and residents of all the neighborhoods to work out plans for some of the programs for boys and girls of all ages at the end of the summer the Rogers will report back to me as to how the summer programs worked out and how the young people of our city employed themselves and profited from the helpful experiences they had the people of New York City and your city government consider you most precious commodity we look to you for the future of our youth and of our city we look to you with confidence we salute all of you and are proud of all of you the way well be because I hope you will keep us proud of you as you go on through all of your life good luck and God bless thank you.