Statement About the Thanksgiving Day Salute to Senior Americans

THE Thanksgiving Day Salute to Senior Americans is an effort to pay tribute to our older citizens by including them in a special way in our Thanksgiving Day festivities. The first Thanksgiving Day Salute was held in Washington, D.C., in 1964 and has since become an annual event in the Nation's Capital. In 1969, Mrs. Nixon and I participated in this event by hosting a White House Thanksgiving Day dinner for 220 senior Americans.

This year, the Thanksgiving Day Salute to Senior Americans will be observed in all 50 States and in Puerto Rico. As a part of this program, Governors of the 50 States and Puerto Rico and their wives have been invited to host Thanksgiving Day dinners for elderly men and women who are living alone or without families. Many Governors have already responded by issuing proclamations supporting this effort and many plan to share their holiday festivities with older citizens in their areas. Senators and Congressmen have indicated that they will participate in the Salute by visiting homes for the aging on Thanksgiving Day.

This program was originated by VIP, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, composed of prominent Americans and college students and headed by Johnny Unitas, president. Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower is serving as honorary national chairman for the Thanksgiving Day Salute.

This expression of concern for older Americans grows out of a deep respect for the part they have played--and continue to play-in the growth and development of our Nation and in the personal life of each and every one of us. It provides a special way to express to them the appreciation, the admiration, and the affection of their countrymen. I, therefore, call upon all Americans to join in this special tribute, and I sincerely hope that the Thanksgiving Day Salute to Senior Americans will become a national tradition.

NOTE. On the same day, the President met with Dr. Arthur S. Flemming, Chairman, White House Conference on Aging; John B. Martin, Commissioner, Administration on Aging, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; and John Unitas, president, and Carmella LaSpada, executive director, VIP, to discuss the Salute.