List of "Lenny Skutniks"

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lenny Skutnik is celebrated for an act of heroism he performed following the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 on January 13, 1982. He dove into an icy river and saved the life of an airline passenger. For this act he was commended by U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the annual State of the Union speech that was held later in the month. He was the first in what has become an annual tradition of notable people being invited to sit in the President's box at the State of the Union address.

Since then, the term "Lenny Skutniks" have been used for individuals cited by the President and sometimes appearing in the audience when the President gives a speech. The use of such individuals has been speculated as an attempt to bring a human face to a presidential speech.

[edit] List of "Lenny Skutniks"

1982

Lenny Skutnik was indicated as an example of the American ideal in his first Address. ^[1] Immediately before noting Skutnik, Reagan first pointed out Jeremiah Denton, a Senator who had formerly been held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

1984

Reagan pointed to Sergeant Stephen Trujillo, a medic during the Invasion of Grenada in October 1983. ^[2]

1999

Sammy Sosa, a right fielder in Major League Baseball who (along with Mark McGwire) had surpassed Roger Maris' home run total of 61 in a single season. Rosa Parks was also pointed out, as an icon of the U.S. civil rights movement.

2000

Tom Mauser, father of Columbine victim Daniel Mauser and anti-Gun Advocate, Lloyd Bentsen, former United States Senator from Texas and former Treasury Secretary, Tipper Gore, then-second lady of the U.S, Carlos Rosas, a father from Minnesota, Captain John Cherrey, airman who served during the Kosovo Conflict, William Cohen and Janet Cohen, then Secretary of Defense, and his wife were all mentioned by Bill Clinton

2001

Lisa Beamer, widow of Todd Beamer, a victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks aboard United Airlines Flight 93 who possibly led the charge against that aircraft's hijackers, was pointed to by George W. Bush. Tony Blair, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was also pointed to by the President.^[3]

2002

Two members of the new Afghan government, interim leader Chairman Hamid Karzai and Minister of Women's Affairs, Dr. Sima Samar, were welcomed and mentioned by George W. Bush. Shannon Spann, widow of CIA officer and Marine Michael Spann who was killed in Mazar-e-Sharif, was also pointed out by the President. Finally, George W. Bush thanked Hermis Moutardier and Christina Jones, two flight attendants on American Airlines Flight 63, aboard which an attempted suicide bombing was prevented by their actions.^[4]

2004

Adnan Pachachi, the President of the Iraqi Governing Council, was pointed to by George W. Bush.

2007

Four individuals were pointed to in the heroes box: Dikembe Mutombo, a basketball player originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who had recently helped fund the building of a hospital in Kinshasa; Wesley Autrey, a New York City construction worker who saved a man who had fallen onto subway tracks; Julie Aigner-Clark, creator of the Baby Einstein toy line; and Sergeant Tommy Riemann, injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[edit] References