For Immediate Release: June 3, 2002
Further information: Ann Scanlon (617) 514-1662
Profiles in Courage for Our Time , the new best seller edited and introduced by Caroline Kennedy, pays tribute to 13 heroes, each a recipient of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s prestigious award for political courage. In addition, Caroline has written three short essays honoring the 2002 recipients of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, which includes America’s public servants – the heroes of September 11, former Palos Heights, IL Mayor Dean Koldenhoven, and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. A generation was formed by reading John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage, and this new book proves that the timeless values of courage, commitment, and community consciousness are still burning bright in America.
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation created the Profile in Courage Award in 1989 to honor President Kennedy’s commitment and contribution to public service. The Award is presented annually to an elected official who has followed what she or he believes is the right course of action despite strong opposition from constituents, powerful interest groups or adversaries. The recipients of this "Nobel in Government" -- a diverse group of men and women who share the distinction of being elected officials at the national, state, or local level -- are the definition of true democracy. And just as the Profile in Courage Award celebrates their exceptional achievements, Profiles in Courage for Our Time (Hyperion), recognizes that the journey of conscience undertaken by each of these courageous public servants is a story that must be told.
The essays’ authors are as noteworthy as their subjects: Anna Quindlen writes about Governor James Florio’s passing of the strictest gun control law in the nation; Al Hunt details Russell Feingold and John McCain’s efforts to reform political financing; Bob Woodward writes on Gerald R. Ford’s controversial decision of conscience to pardon Richard Nixon. Profiles in Courage for Our Time brings together some of our greatest writers to laude and chronicle these heroic episodes. Michael Beschloss, Pete Hamill, Marian Wright Edelman, among other luminaries, provide the award winners the eloquence and passion they deserve in recording their experiences.
Penned by a collection of stellar authors, they honor the following modern-day political heroes:
Albert R. Hunt on John McCain and Russell Feingold
Bill Kovach on Charles Longstreet Weltner
E.J. Dionne on Lowell Weicker, Jr.
Pete Hamill on Henry B. Gonzalez
Steven V. Roberts on Michael L. Synar
Maryanne Vollers on Charles Price
Ron Suskind on Nickolas C. Murnion
Michael Daly on The Irish Peacemakers
Anthony Walton on Hilda Solis
Teresa Carpenter on John Lewis
Michael Beschloss on Carl Elliott, Sr.
Anna Quindlen on James Florio
Bob Woodward on Gerald R. Ford
Caroline Kennedy on America’s Public Servants, Mayor Dean Koldenhoven, and Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the 2002 recipients of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
Caroline Kennedy serves as president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. She is the editor of The New York Times bestseller The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and co-author of The Right to Privacy and In Our Defense.