A Centennial entrepreneur and a former Denver basketball star were singled out for praise by President Bush during his State of the Union speech.
Julie Aigner-Clark, founder of The Baby Einstein Company, and her daughter Aspen, 12, sat behind first lady Laura Bush in her box. The company, which Aigner-Clark sold in 2001, makes developmental videos and products for infants and toddlers.
“Julie represents the great enterprising spirit of America. And she is using her success to help others, producing child safety videos,” the president said.
Dikembe Mutombo, who played for the Denver Nuggets for five seasons in the early 1990s, sat next to the first lady. Now a center for the Houston Rockets, Mutombo was recognized for his humanitarian work.
He “spends his off-season working as an NBA ambassador for African causes,” the White House said, and Mutombo’s foundation “has funded a large portion of a $27 million dollar hospital opening in Kinshasa, … the first new hospital in the Congo in 40 years.”
“We’re proud to call this son of the Congo a citizen of the United States,” the president said.
Both Mutombo and Aigner-Clark received standing ovations after Bush praised them.
– Anne C. Mulkern
