ladies and gentlemen the ceremony will begin shortly please silence your cellular phones for the duration of our ceremony take your seats and enjoy the rest of your ladies and gentlemen please remain standing for the presentation of the colors by the united states armed forces color guard and the singing of our national anthem by master sergeant regina coo ladies and gentlemen please remain standing as reverend daniel coon coughlin gives the invocation god you are all powerful and the creator of all is never easy for any of us to admit as well as accept our own limitations thereby it is even more difficult to fully understand others and their history yet once in a while throughout history you inspire us with a life story of an individual who battles for life and becomes a model for others wrestling with difficulties as well as an icon for the nation the world today we bless you and praise you lord for helen adams color for her life her determination her perseverance patience and the gifts she brought to others she has become an inspiration for so many who are blind deaf who have speech impediments her great mind an ability to trust relationships changed her world her relationships with caregivers in her desire for education we motivate people to this day to care for others and seek new ways to expand education for all the world by bringing this statue to the capitol the story of helen keller will live on new relationships will be solidified hope will be offered to young people and those struggling with their own limitations and gratitude will be celebrated for caretakers nurses and teachers for generations to come is a special place and symbolizes the strength and high ambitions of the american people the paintings and art that you see around around us depict our foundation as a nation and celebrate our search for independence freedom and equality when you walk the halls of this capitol almost everywhere you will see statues honoring the men and women who helped shape the course of american history we honor these people for their contributions to government to art to education to science to technology literature and to our defense the statues in this collection represent some of the greatest americans who have ever lived today we have a high honor of adding the name just to communicate and despite deafness and blindness she learned to read and write and graduated magna cum laude of radcliffe college she went on to lead an extraordinary life and to bring attention and focus on so many people in causes that for so long had been ignored she lived a complete life and to the fullest extent p think of the span of her life she came into the world in the deep south just a few years removed from the civil war in fact her father and grandfather had fought in the civil war  to lyndon johnson that also of her achievements alan keller wrote lobbies agitated and travel the whole world to improve the lives of blind hold it high and the look the world straight in the helen keller's life with to them i was the spirit of determination and her stature here in the capitol will forever symbolize ladies and gentleman majority leader of the united states house of representatives the  we all know how the story with the help of a loving family a tireless teacher and a fierce determination few of us can ever know helen keller overcame  great she became one of the most admired women of the twentieth century and she showed the world that when we do the best we can miracles and today we show the world something to by dedicating this statue in this place we show that those whom the world calls imperfect are not only worth our attention their wor because of the obstacles they have overcome that's a very american thing to do and it's also the right thing to do in an age when you are still dismissed or cast aside for nothing more than being less he said she will be famous years from now as she is today helen keller's life is an example of determination and strength here in this temple of our democracy ladies and gentlemen the honorable bob riley governor of the state of alabama ladies and gentlemen reverend barry black will now deliver the thank you for the life of helen keller which reminds us that there is no favoritism with you lord her contributions remind us that no setbacks are too great to overcome in your strength may her achievements challenge us to do more boldly and just drive with greater diligence to maximize the possibilities you have placed in each of us help us to learn from her legacy that our success should not be measured by how high we climb but rather by the obstacles we overcome to reach the heights now bless and keep us make your face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us lift the light of your countenance upon us and give us your peace we ladies and gentlemen thank you for joining us today please remain in your seats for the departure of the official party ladies and gentlemen thank you for attending today's ceremony and enjoy the rest of your day