Thursday, 4:30 PM
Profile in Courage Awards honor Houston mayor, Louisiana school superintendent
By Globe Staff
When the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita forced a diaspora from the Gulf Coast, Houston Mayor Bill White marshaled the good will of his city to offer refuge and aid to hundreds of thousands of evacuees.
Weeks after almost every building in St. Bernard Parish, La., was destroyed, Schools Superintendent Doris Voitier borrowed a computer, took out loans, and rented trailers to reopen a school for some 300 students who had returned home.
While federal relief effort sputtered, White and Voitier filled a leadership vacuum and persevered. For their effort and achievement, both were honored today with Profile in Courage Awards at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
"Mayor Bill White and Superintendent Doris Voitier are extraordinary examples of courage and leadership," Senator Edward M. Kennedy said in a statement. "In the midst of the immense devastation and despair brought on by Hurricane Katrina, they rose to the challenge. They’re true profiles in courage, and I know that President Kennedy would be proud of them today."
The awards, named for John F. Kennedy's 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, honor feats of great political courage in the face of great adversity. Other recent recipients have included Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko; Senators John McCain and Russell Feingold; and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.
White is credited for mobilizing Houstonians to help evacuees rebuild their lives with innovative programs to provide long-term housing, jobs, and education.
"I accepted this award on behalf of hundreds of thousands of people in my community that helped restore the dignity to hundreds of thousands of our neighbors," White said.
Voitier, who began her education career 30 years ago as a math teacher, was honored for reopening schools despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles that included no phones, no money, and few teachers. By this August, St. Bernard Parish will have reopened five school buildings for nearly 4,000 students.
"We were scattered to the corners of this nation through no fault of our own," Voitier said today in her acceptance speech. "But we made it back home together again.”
“The people of St. Bernard Parish have redefined home for an entire nation," Voitier continued. "Because we now know that home is the warmth of loving hearts, light from happy eyes, loyalty, comradeship, and love. Where our children are, that is home."
