WASHINGTON – August 25, 2018 – Patrick Butler, president and chief executive officer of America’s Public Television Stations, tonight issued the following statement on the death of Senator John McCain:
“America’s Public Television Stations join our millions of viewers in mourning the passing of Senator John McCain — a statesman, a patriot, a true American hero.
“I first met Commander McCain in 1977 when he was serving as the Navy liaison to the Senate and I was an aide to Senate Republican Leader Howard Baker.
“His personality was pure magic, and every Senator wanted to travel with this effervescent man who had endured so much yet enjoyed life so fully.
“Ten years later, when Congressman McCain became Senator McCain, he set a standard of political independence and straight talk that served him and his country well for the next three decades.
“Nowhere did Senator McCain’s unique persona find better expression than on public television, where he was a frequent guest on many of our programs. And perhaps his most memorable appearance was in grainy footage as a calm and courageous prisoner of war in Ken Burns’s and Lynn Novick’s 2017 history of the Vietnam War.
“With all of our fellow citizens, we salute Senator McCain for his long life of distinguished service to his country, and we extend our deepest sympathy to his fine family, which has defended and strengthened America across many generations and continues to do so today. May this remarkable warrior now rest in peace.”
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America's Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization ensuring a strong and financially sound public television system and helping member stations provide essential public services in education, public safety and civic leadership to the American people. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
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