Mr. David Miscavige 1997 Opening Address Part 6
On March 14th, 1997, the L. Ron Hubbard Birthday Celebration took place at the spiritual mecca of Scientology, the Flag Land Base, in Clearwater, Florida.
The sixth part of Mr David Miscavige's address:
Continued…
And finally, from Sebokeng, a rural township in South Africa, comes a tribute from the teachers and students of that nation.
Now, in Sebokeng, there is a tradition of honoring a great king or leader through song.
And today, in Sebokeng, that song is entitled “The Teacher of Teachers” and dedicated to L. Ron Hubbard.
They just recorded it in honor of Mr. Hubbard’s birthday and I thought it appropriate to play it for you at tonight’s celebration.
And moving closer to home, as a matter of fact, right to our front doorstep, there’s one final tribute that definitely bears a word.
You will recall late last year, I announced that the LA City Council voted to officially rename Berendo Street, home of our three largest western U.S. churches, to “L. Ron Hubbard Way.”
The motion was placed on the table by the President of the City Council, who in doing so proclaimed:
“They are a power that the community needs to be connected to.”
But of course, if a street is to be named “L. Ron Hubbard Way,” that street must reflect the dignity and stature befitting the name.
There was, however, one problem—Berendo Street looked like every other street in Hollywood, pot-holed, criss-crossed with telephone wires, lined with unsightly poles and otherwise like a set from a World War II movie.
Just because we now had a street officially called “L. Ron Hubbard Way,” didn’t mean it looked like a street with that name should look.
So we set out to make that street into a street that exemplifies L. Ron Hubbard’s dream—a centerpiece of community spirit for the whole of the city.
And to that end, word went out to the Friends of Ron, and the response was immediate.
Among the very first to respond was John Travolta who joined in with a benefit world premiere of his film Michael, held right here at the Flag Land Base.
And that definitely got the ball rolling.
Next came further donations and that included materials, skill and willing manpower.
Week by week, the momentum grew.
But there were still those many potholes in that road, and I don’t mean just literally.
For instance, according to the city, procuring the 18 permits required to implement the designs for our street—new sidewalks, new lamps and a golden-hued brick street—that was a six-month ordeal.
Well, they hadn’t worked with us on a project before and as you will see, there were a number of surprises in store—from both sides.
First we surprised them with our planning—and meticulous planning it was.
But ordinarily the City of Los Angeles does not permit private planning.
In fact, it’s unheard of.
So imagine our surprise when the head of our planning arrived at the Department of Water and Power headquarters to find, not the expected red tape, but his own office space right in the permit department—replete with supplies, and computer station.
With cooperation and assistance from the Mayor of Los Angeles right on down, a process that normally takes six months, was wrapped up in six weeks.
And so construction began with ground breaking less than two months ago.
…MR. DAVID MISCAVIGE'S SPEECH TO BE CONTINUED
