Coretta Scott King's funeral offered a rare chance to see four U.S. presidents share the same stage as they each spoke in tribute to the widow of Martin Luther King Jr.
February 8, 2006 (Press Release) --
Four presidents recall Coretta Scott King
By JONATHAN LANDRUM JR.
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Coretta Scott King's funeral offered a rare chance to see four U.S. presidents share the same stage as they each spoke in tribute to the widow of Martin Luther King Jr.
President Bush and former presidents Clinton, Bush and Carter sat behind the pulpit at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, where they shared laughs and, at one point, held hands with others in prayer. They were joined by their wives, except for Barbara Bush, who was giving a speech in Orlando, Fla.
But the stage was not the only place where the former chief executives talked. President Bush and first lady Laura Bush invited President Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., aboard Air Force One for the flight from Washington to Atlanta.
On the plane, the Clintons and Bushes chatted for a while, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, but he declined to say what the couples discussed. McClellan jokingly called Bill Clinton President Bush's "brother," referring to the close relationship between Clinton and former President Bush, who have worked together on disaster-relief projects.
The funeral marked the first time since President Bush's second inauguration on Jan. 20, 2005, that the four presidents had gathered.
The nation's other living president, Gerald Ford, is the oldest at 92. He was released from a hospital in California several weeks ago after 12 days of treatment for pneumonia. His travels have been limited in recent years.
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LITHONIA, Ga. -- One gauge of the grandeur of Coretta Scott King's funeral was the full-color program that ran to 28 pages.
The booklet listed 39 speakers, 10 performers and featured 40 photographs of King and her family, as well as a detailed chronology of her life.
The program also included a tribute from the Rev. Martin Luther King that appeared under a memorable picture from their wedding in which Coretta Scott King is seen kissing her new husband on his cheek while he rolls his eyes.
"I am convinced that if I had not had a wife with the fortitude, strength and calmness of Coretta, I could not have stood up amid the ordeals and tensions surrounding the Montgomery movement," King said.
"I came to see the real meaning of that rather trite statement, 'A wife can either make or break a husband.' Coretta proved to be that type of wife with qualities to make a husband when he could have been so easily broken.
"In the darkest moments, she always brought the light of hope."
In a nod to the lengthy program, Bishop Eddie Long, leader of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, told the audience at the start of the service: "It's my job to see that this moves smoothly and quickly - and we are finished before Jesus returns."
---
Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell'Orto and Don Schanche contributed to this report.
Four presidents recall Coretta Scott King
By JONATHAN LANDRUM JR.
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Coretta Scott King's funeral offered a rare chance to see four U.S. presidents share the same stage as they each spoke in tribute to the widow of Martin Luther King Jr.
President Bush and former presidents Clinton, Bush and Carter sat behind the pulpit at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, where they shared laughs and, at one point, held hands with others in prayer. They were joined by their wives, except for Barbara Bush, who was giving a speech in Orlando, Fla.
But the stage was not the only place where the former chief executives talked. President Bush and first lady Laura Bush invited President Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., aboard Air Force One for the flight from Washington to Atlanta.
On the plane, the Clintons and Bushes chatted for a while, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, but he declined to say what the couples discussed. McClellan jokingly called Bill Clinton President Bush's "brother," referring to the close relationship between Clinton and former President Bush, who have worked together on disaster-relief projects.
The funeral marked the first time since President Bush's second inauguration on Jan. 20, 2005, that the four presidents had gathered.
The nation's other living president, Gerald Ford, is the oldest at 92. He was released from a hospital in California several weeks ago after 12 days of treatment for pneumonia. His travels have been limited in recent years.
---
LITHONIA, Ga. -- One gauge of the grandeur of Coretta Scott King's funeral was the full-color program that ran to 28 pages.
The booklet listed 39 speakers, 10 performers and featured 40 photographs of King and her family, as well as a detailed chronology of her life.
The program also included a tribute from the Rev. Martin Luther King that appeared under a memorable picture from their wedding in which Coretta Scott King is seen kissing her new husband on his cheek while he rolls his eyes.
"I am convinced that if I had not had a wife with the fortitude, strength and calmness of Coretta, I could not have stood up amid the ordeals and tensions surrounding the Montgomery movement," King said.
"I came to see the real meaning of that rather trite statement, 'A wife can either make or break a husband.' Coretta proved to be that type of wife with qualities to make a husband when he could have been so easily broken.
"In the darkest moments, she always brought the light of hope."
In a nod to the lengthy program, Bishop Eddie Long, leader of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, told the audience at the start of the service: "It's my job to see that this moves smoothly and quickly - and we are finished before Jesus returns."
---
Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell'Orto and Don Schanche contributed to this report.
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