As the founder of Save the Family Institute I would like to pay homage to the Salter-Saulter family. Not only have you taken up the torch of family tradition, you are carrying it with poise, dignity and grace. You are living proof of what family can achieve when they place God in the center and allow Him to lead them home. “Leaning on the Lord” is your legacy which makes you truly one of the nation’s greatest treasures.
You began your American journey bound up in shackles and chains. You were sold to the highest bidder and forced to undergo the most dehumanizing socialization experiment ever conceived by man. Attempts were made to defile your body, stifle your intellect, and demonize your soul. Your humanity was withdrawn and you were cast into the pit of human debris.
Although your path was littered with impediments you remained steadfast. You refused to surrender to mediocrity. With all the odds stacked against you, you overcame adversity. Led by the Lord you kept the faith and pursued the family ideal. The family was organized. Leaders, traditions, standards and values were established. The knowledge, experience, talent, resources and energy of the whole, was pooled for the benefit of all. You understood early on that family is not who you are individually but who you are collectively. Together you rose like the Phoenix from the depths of oppression to the pinnacle of American family life.
No American family has come further than you have. Your accomplishments are exceptional. You embody everything that is good in America and you are truly the embodiment of the American dream.
What can America learn from you, a family bound by traditions? Traditions of loving God, honoring elders, protecting women and children, sharing knowledge, wealth, influence, character, integrity, zeal for life and its legacy of achievement. A family united by a common vision, whose sense of identity transcends race, creed, color and religion.
America can learn volumes, but I can’t speak for America. I can only speak for myself. What you know as family is priceless. Your story is one of hope, inspiration and encouragement. Being accepted as an honorary member is one of the greatest honors that I have ever had bestowed upon me and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Charles Williams