Actor John Wayne, who was a Scout in his youth, was honored by President Ford, an Eagle Scout, at the same black-tie, benefit dinner where Jimmy Stewart spoke. (The proceeds were for the purchase of land to be called the John Wayne Outpost Camp at the Lake Arrowhead Scout Camps in the Los Angeles Area Council.) President Ford said, "It occurs to me that John Wayne, like so many other great Americans, has never lost the sense that there is a higher good, something outside the individual, which each of us should seek to achieve."
John Wayne recited the Scout Law and commented, "Nice words. Trouble is, we learn them so young we sometimes don't get all the understanding that goes with them. I take care of that in my family. As each boy reaches Scout age I make sure he learns the Scout Law. Then I break it down for him with a few things I've picked up in the more than half century since I learned it."
Commenting on "Reverant," John Wayne put it simply, "Believe in anything you want to believe in, but keep God at the top of it. With Him, life can be a beautiful experience. Without Him, you're just biding time."
