Gingrich Dinner Is Sell-Out Event

May 01, 2006

The Sam Noble Special Events Center at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City was filled to capacity as the 2006 Citizenship Award Dinner commenced on Wednesday evening, March 29. Citizens came to hear Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, discuss many different current events and the implications for Americans in the 21st century.

Mistress of Ceremonies for the special evening was OCPA's own director of development, Margaret Ann Hoenig. OCPA president Mark Nichols presented five high-school seniors with more than $12,000 in total cash prizes as the winners in our Seventh Annual Citizenship Essay Contest. At the conclusion of the evening, Nichols and OCPA chairman Dr. David R. Brown made the special presentation of the OCPA Citizenship Award to Gingrich.

Gingrich joins previous award recipients Jeane Kirkpatrick, Steve Forbes, John Walton and Tommy Franks, and other notables who have been recognized by the organization for making significant contributions to our nation's way of life.

In his introduction Ed Feulner, president of The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., referred to Gingrich as "a visionary" and "a one-man think tank."

Feulner, a frequent guest at OCPA dinners, knows of what he speaks. Heritage is considered the preeminent conservative think tank in the nation, whose work is regularly cited by policy makers and major news organizations.

Gingrich touched on many domestic and foreign-policy issues during his address. Yet, he paused in his opening remarks to acknowledge Mrs. Brown's birthday, joking that he isn't a very good singer. Then he paid tribute to Dr. Brown saying, "David, your leadership has helped to make possible both the growth and success of Heritage and the growth of OCPA. And nobody should ever doubt that what makes America such an extraordinary civilization is the willingness of individuals to give of their time, of their resources, of their courage, to be truly citizens, and David I just want to say thank you for all you've done."

That is what OCPA's Citizenship Award Dinner has come to symbolize - the importance of the individual in the successful continuation of this greatest experiment in self-government the world has ever witnessed.

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