A Message from the President

In June, Mr. John Anderson, President of the Toshiba America Foundation was the keynote speaker at the Science Showcase for this year’s ExploraVision Awards weekend in Washington DC. Below are his remarks addressing students and the importance of science and exploration.

Remarks for ExploraVision Award Winners

John A. Anderson, Jr.
President, Toshiba America  Foundation

“You’re Here.  That’s All Well and Good”

Good Morning.  I am so pleased to be here to congratulate you both personally and on behalf of Toshiba.

A few weeks ago, Mr. Nishida, the President of Toshiba Corporation, visited our offices in New York and met with all our employees.  He had a simple message.  He asked us to work hard which simply means to be enthusiastic about what we are doing.  He asked us to be creative; to innovate and find new and better ways of doing things.  And he asked us to take responsibility for our actions and always to act ethically and legally. 

In other words, he asked us to do well and to do good.  Even though you are science stars, I am sure your English teachers have led you to recognize the difference between doing well and doing good.  I mention that because I think maybe Mr. Nishida’s message is a good one for us all.

You will do well.  You already have.  You are here to receive congratulations and awards for the work you have done.  Good work.  You have done well.

I think I know why you have done so well.  You have talent.  You work hard—or better said—with enthusiasm for what you are doing. You ask questions, lots of questions.  With help from your teachers, you find answers—sometimes new and creative answers—to those questions.  You innovate.  And you learn from all you see and do and experience.   You have learned to wonder; to wonder about and to wonder at; the wonder-full people and things around us.

Those things make you successful, special, powerful people—but do they make you good?

I love stories.  I always have.   And one of my favorites is Superman.  I’m excited because there is a new Superman movie coming soon to a theater near me.  I don’t know the story yet, but I’m sure it will be an exciting contest—probably between Superman and Lex Luthor, the evil scientist.

It’ll be great.  On one side, we have Superman, a visitor from the Planet Krypton with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.   He can fly at nearly the speed of light.  He is as strong as a nuclear reaction and has ex-ray vision comparable to a Toshiba CT Scan.  His super-hearing is as good as your mother’s eavesdropping on your cell phone conversations.  And he has a secret identity. 

And, on the other side we have Lex Luthor, an enthusiastic (hardworking) scientist.

Of course, Lex will lose in the end.  But what absolutely amazes me is ….it’s going to be close.   Lex is not going to lose because Superman is stronger, faster, smarter, etc.  He is going to lose because he is evil (most evil scientists are) and Superman is good.

Unfortunately, Superman is a story and we cannot rely on him.  We need to rely on good scientists and good people.   That’s where you come in.  We need you to be good scientists and do super things—like the projects you are showing here.

There is another story that I love.  It’s about an old man and a young boy.  It could just as easily have been a girl but in this story it was a boy.   The boy was smart.  He loved to ask questions.  He was enthusiastic about the things he did.  And he approached the world filled with wonder.   The old man was a magician.  He was the wisest and most powerful magician in all the world.

The magician taught the boy.  He turned him into things—a fish, a bird, a badger, lots of things.  And the boy learned to see things from a different perspective.  The magician showed him new things, odd and funny things and the boy learned to be creative.   The magician encouraged him to ask questions, even silly questions and the boy learned wonder.   And the magician opened his eyes to the difference between good and evil and the boy learned to love the good.

It is a famous story, a legend really.  In the end, the boy sees a sword stuck in a stone; he pulls it out and is declared the King of all England.  It’s the story of King Arthur and one place it is told is in the wonderful book by T.H. White, The Once and Future King.   

The story is a legend, not because the boy did well.  (Although becoming King was as well as one could do in those days.) It is a legend because he spent his life doing good (unusual for a king in those days) and leading others to do good as well.

Mostly he led the knights.  The knights weren’t such bad guys—but they weren’t really good either.  They were the coolest guys around.  They hung out a lot; they smoked, did some fighting, and watched a lot of dumb T.V. They were bullies and know-it-alls.   You know the type.

But King Arthur was a leader.  He was enthusiastic and set good examples. And gradually the knights changed.  They became kind, first to one another, and then to classmates—even those who weren’t doing so well.  They learned to listen to one another and work as a team; they sat at a round table so no one would try to be a big shot.  And they sallied forth on quests; idealistic ventures to make the world a better place.  They were enthusiastic, they had fun, and they were happy.   They did well and they did good.  All hail King Arthur, the once and future king.

But that was the past.  You are the future.  You are smart, enthusiastic, talented and powerful.  And you must choose to make the choice Lex Luthor did not.  You must choose to be good scientists, more important, you must choose to be good people.

Now, before I go, I’d like to offer a few thoughts about Merlyn.   He was a magician.  The smartest and most powerful person in the world.   He could do or be anything he wanted.

….And he chose to be, a teacher.   Talk about doing good.  

Thanks to all those people here who made Merlyn’s choice and helped you to get here today—your teachers and your coaches.

And thanks to the Moms and Dads who began teaching the day you were born and who will never stop, no matter how often or enthusiastically you may ask.  They will never stop because they love you.  So, I suggest, do your teachers.

Congratulations, again.  Continue to do well.  And strive to do good.  We are all depending on you. 

Thank you.

John A. Anderson, Jr.

President
Toshiba America Foundation