state hillary rodham clinton, democratic leader nancy pelosi and expensive network of people in saluting ambassador chris stevens who will be remembered for his strong sense of dignity, his humility and his generous service to others. he will be truly missed by all who loved him and by all he served throughout the magnitude of his life's work. thank you for this honor. [applause] members of christopher

stevens family, ladies and gentlemen, let me first thank chris stevens' brothers and sisters for their warm and delightful insights into what he was really like. thank you so much. that was fantastic what you did for us. christopher stevens was obviously an extraordinary human being and contributor. every year at stanford we have a group of what we call national security fellows come. they were roughly army, navy, air force, state department. a couple weeks ago we had a meeting and the first person i called on was an army colonel. i said where were you last? he said in libya. i said did you know christopher stevens?

he said everybody knew christopher stevens. he was our leader, fluent in arabic, constructive, positive, doing something, he was our leader. this spontaneous practically eruption from him. he was a foreign service officer. anybody who has served with a foreign service as i did as the secretary of state knows, what a very special group of people this is. they are very able people. dedicated. they work hard for our country. chris was extraordinary and stood out. i thought what image can i think of that might express

our way of thinking about him. i thought of the great seal of our republic. i don't know how many of you have ever looked carefully at it. the center is an eagle. in one talon the eagle is holding an olive branch. the eagle is looking at the olive branch to show that the united states will always seek peace. the other talon, the eagle is holding arrows to show that the united states understands if you will be effective and successful in seeking peace, you must be strong. let me expand. because it only only peace but a better kind. the elimination of poverty, better lives all over the world for ourselves and

other people. the arrows don't just stand for military strength but capability, they stand for the idea that the underwill try to recruit the best and most capable to apply themselves to those grand objectives. as i studied the life of christopher stevens, he embodied that and sought the grand objectives that our dwok si stands for. we gather to mourn his loss and demonstrate to his family how much we understand their grief.

we also gather to celebrate the immense accomplishments this man has made for us. i picked out of my closet a tie. says on it democracy is not a spectator sport. christopher stevens was a participant. a full, strong, effective participant in his beloved democracy. chris, thank you. [applause]

>> good afternoon, my name is tom pickering. chris stevens was a friend and a colleague. more than that he was among the very best our foreign service has to offer in support of our people and our country. a man destined for even greater challenges and successes. it is a special honor for me to be asked to be here and say a few words in his memory. i must begin by offer approximating my sincere condolences and passion to his family and friends gathered here this afternoon to honor his memory. in truth, what we say here our words, can only be a pale shadow for his service and sacrifice for his nation and people. indeed that of his colleagues, glen dougherty, sean smith, tyrone woods.

i know you all join me in honoring and appreciating their service and devotion as well. chris and i worked together for a time almost a dozen years ago. he was even then fully committed to his work. an authority already in the middle east. a fine student of arabic. much more. he gave me careful and cogent advice and council as we wrestled together with the many growing problems that even back then were en endemic to the country's work. i learned about benghazi, as the critical changes in libya began to unfold. his leadership there at a time of great importance and danger was a tribute to his courage and bravery. his skill and dedication as

a diplomat. to his commitment to a new and better libya. benghazi in a real sense, as you have heard today, became his city. as it is with a deep sense of fate that in benghazi he and his colleagues gave that last full measure for his country and his many friends in the city where he died, continuing to defend and prosper their hopes and their aspirations for the future. many have commented since on chris's salient commitment to the people of benghazi. john thorn writing in the christian science monitor noted that when he passed in the street, the young men would call out, hello, chris. they knew his face. would laugh and say hello always. this is the right way to deal with our people, he

said. libyan friends said he was always ready to put his country first. he shone by being himself, interested in the lives of ordinary people. his death was met with shock and sadness in libya. feelings with regard to americans that are rare in that part of the world these days. for me that judgment captures key characteristics of chris and his approach to life and work. secretary of state hillary clinton noted chris's swearing in as ambassador to libya on an earlier tour, he was visiting roman ruins at one of the tourist sites in libya. he was trailed by gadhafi security men who were

obviously intimidating to other tourists. as she recounted it, he reached over to one of the men, stole his camera out of his hands and started taking pictures of the men who had been following him. they were so dumbfounded that they had to laugh. after a quick conversation, chris convinced them to stand down. from a colleague at the embassy in tripoli i learned chris had a humble style of diplomacy libyans responded to after he became ambassador and returned to tripoli, the embassy posted a photo, ordering a juice in a cafe. that went viral because libyans were amazed at the site of a senior government official doing mundane activities without a huge entourage and demanding vip treatment. chris had a great knowledge of libyan history and

culture. he would often crack jokes with government counter parts. not just in arabic but in the libyan dialect, which the libyans loved to hear him speak. another told me when i saw him in may as newly appointed ambassador in tripoli he had not changed, despite the promotion and accolades. he was the same guy. lingering one night after dinner to help me with a difficult table, i referred to him as sir or ambassador. he looked at me for a second, he sighs and he said i wish everyone would just call me chris. he loved the work, loved the people, but he never took himself too seriously. people talk about what a good diplomat he was. he knew how to motivate others to be the same. even those down on their

careers, lost faith, in hardship. this was a tough task to inspire other to serve with dignity and self-respect. chris knew how to do that. nothing we can say here can make up for the heart ache and pain which brings less to his family. we hope family members will draw solace and strength in our coming together around his life and service in a joyful way that shows how deeply we miss chris. i still have chris last message on my e-mail. he wrote hello, tom. it is exciting times in tripoli. with election and new congress coming together. as i read libya's recent history it is a bit like we are reliving the post world war ii years. how right he was.

that was chris. always thinking, always sharp, always ready. public service is too often looked down upon by some in this country. often my colleagues in the foreign service la meant they don't make them the way they used to anymore. today we remember a man, chris stevens, whose life and service just proves how wrong my colleagues really are. chris shows us they still make them the way they used to, only an awful lot better, thank you. [applause] >> chris's family would like to invite everyone to a reception after the ceremony.

it will be held over there. you are all welcome. let us pray. oh lord, support us all the day long until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes and the busy world is hushed and the fever of life is over and our work is done. then in your mercy grant us a safe lodging and a holy rest and peace at the last. may the author of all life bless us and keep us. in god's name we pray, amen. ♪

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>> i love teaching. it is such an exhilarating experience when people began to feel their own creativity. >> this really is a place where all people can come and take a class and fill part of the community. this is very enriching as an artist. a lot of folks take these classes and take their digital imagery and turn it into negatives. >> there are not many black and white darkrooms available anymore. that is a really big draw. >> this is a signature piece. this is the bill largest darkroom in the u.s.. >> there are a lot of people that want to get into that dark

room. >> i think it is the heart of this place. you feel it when you come in. >> the people who just started taking pictures, so this is really an intersection for many generations of photographers and this is a great place to learn because if you need people from different areas and also everyone who works here is working in photography.

>> we get to build the community here. this is different. first of all, this is a great location. it is in a less-populated area. >> of lot of people come here just so that they can participate in this program. it is a great opportunity for people who have a little bit of photographic experience. the people have a lot, they can really come together and share a love and a passion. >> we offer everything from traditional black and white darkrooms to learning how to process your first roll of film. we offer classes and workshops in digital camera, digital printing.

we offer classes basically in the shooting, ton the town at night, treasure island. there is a way for the programs exploring everyone who would like to spend the day on this program. >> hello, my name is jennifer. >> my name is simone. we are going on a field trip to take pictures up the hill. >> c'mon, c'mon, c'mon. >> actually, i have been here a lot. i have never looked closely enough to see everything. now, i get to take pictures. >> we want to try to get them to

be more creative with it. we let them to be free with them but at the same time, we give them a little bit of direction. >> you can focus in here. >> that was cool. >> if you see that? >> behind the city, behind the houses, behind those hills. the see any more hills? >> these kids are wonderful. they get to explore, they get to see different things. >> we let them explore a little bit. they get their best. if their parents ever ask, we can learn -- they can say that

they learned about the depth of field or the rule of thirds or that the shadows can give a good contrast. some of the things they come up with are fantastic. that is what we're trying to encourage. these kids can bring up the creativity and also the love for photography. >> a lot of people come into my classes and they don't feel like they really are creative and through the process of working and showing them and giving them some tips and ideas. >> this is kind of the best kept secret. you should come on and take a class. we have orientations on most saturdays. this is a really wonderful location and is the real jewel to the community. >> ready to develop your photography skills?

the harvey milk photo center focuses on adult classes. and saturday workshops expose youth and adults to photography classes. we are celebrating the glorious grand opening of the chinese rec center. ♪ 1951, 60 years ago, our first kids began to play in the chinese wrecks center -- rec center. >> i was 10 years old at the time. i spent just about my whole life here.

>> i came here to learn dancing. by we came -- >> we had a good time. made a lot of friends here. crisises part of the 2008 clean neighborhood park fund, and this is so important to our families. for many people who live in chinatown, this is their backyard. this is where many people come to congregate, and we are so happy to be able to deliver this project on time and under budget. >> a reason we all agreed to name this memorex center is because it is part of the history of i hear -- to name this rec center, is because it is part of the history of san francisco. >> they took off from logan airport, and the call of duty was to alert american airlines

that her plane was hijacked, and she stayed on the phone prior to the crash into the no. 9 world trade center. >> i would like to claim today the center and the naming of it. [applause] >> kmer i actually challenged me to a little bit of a ping pong -- the mayor actually challenge me to a little bit of a ping- pong, so i accept your challenge. ♪ >> it is an amazing spot. it is a state of the art center. >> is beautiful. quarkrights i would like to come

here and join them