For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
September 17, 2002

Closing Remarks by Mrs. Bush at Women of the West Symposium
The East Room

Thanks to everyone who participated in this White House Symposium on the Women of the West.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society,

The Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial and Educational Foundation,

The Library of Congress;

Our panelists and presenters;

Melissa Gilbert;

Lionel Chetwynd and Craig Haffner of Greystone Communications for the author film clips;

And especially Elizabeth Taylor for making sure the symposium ran smoothly.

Willa Cather, Edna Ferber and Laura Ingalls Wilder were women who put an enormous amount of heart, and effort, into their work. Through their volumes of insightful literature, and through today's examination of it, we have been able to visit the extraordinary times in which they lived and the places that they called home.

Thanks to the talent of these writers, and to those who worked so hard to bring their characters to life in both film and television, we have a better understanding of one of the most remarkable - and compelling -- periods in American history.

Thanks to everyone here today for making a success of our most recent installment in the White House Salute to America's Authors.

In the words of Laura Ingalls Wilder, "If enough people think of a thing and work hard enough at it, I guess it's pretty nearly bound to happen.wind and weather permitting."

I had a great time today, and I hope you did as well. Thank you.

# # #