Remarks as prepared for delivery on Saturday, August 13, 2022.
Thank you, Osbert.
Governor Bryan, First Lady Yolanda Bryan, and all you other distinguished guests, it’s an honor for Donna and me to join you for this memorable celebration of WTJX’s 50th anniversary.
Donna and I will be celebrating our 45th anniversary next month, and being with you in St. Croix this week is a great head start.
I bring you greetings and congratulations from all 336 of America’s public television stations, which salute you for a half-century of remarkable service to the people of the Virgin Islands.
Your vision of “educating everyone in the Virgin Islands from the cradle to the rocking chair” has won the appreciation and support of all of your fellow citizens here in the Islands.
We’re especially grateful for the growing investment which Governor Bryan and members of your Legislature provide for your work – and we appreciate as well the support of Representative Plaskett in the United States Congress.
As the organization responsible for securing nearly a billion dollars in public funding each year from both federal and state governments, America’s Public Television Stations takes particular pride in telling the story of WTJX’s missions of education, public safety and civic leadership, in Washington and around the country.
You’ve been doing so much, so well, for so long it’s easy to take your service for granted.
WTJX is always there when you need them:
- Providing lifelong learning services to the young and old alike.
- Sending emergency alerts when natural disasters strike.
- Reporting the news of the Islands as no one else can do.
- And covering events of special significance, including the funeral of former Governor Turnbull just earlier today.
So this historic milestone gives us all an opportunity to reflect on just how important WTJX is to the Virgin Islands, how responsive you are to the changing needs of the communities you serve, and how much you mean to so many.
Donna and I had the chance this week to visit some of the sites from Alexander Hamilton’s early life here.
And just as there would be no United States as we know it without this son of the Virgin Islands, the public television system I am privileged to serve just wouldn’t be the same without the contributions of Tanya-Marie Singh and her talented team at WTJX.
And let me give a little shout-out also to my old friend Osbert Potter for his leadership of this station in years gone by.
Tanya spoke at our Public Media Summit in Washington a few years ago, and she inspired all of her colleagues with your outstanding record of achievement and your ambitious plans for even greater accomplishment in the future.
Thank you for your pioneering work. Thank you all for your support. Happy 50th anniversary, and here’s to 50 more years of essential, admirable service to the people of the Virgin Islands.
###