Lucas honored at Ford's Theater reopening

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi presented film director George Lucas with the Lincoln Medal at the Ford's Theater grand reopening celebration in Washington.

The event took place Wednesday evening in advance of Thursday's bicentennial of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's birth.

The Lincoln Medal was established to recognize individuals whose body of work and accomplishments embody Lincoln's character.

"As we celebrate the rich history of our great nation, we note the significant role that the arts have played in our democracy," Pelosi said at the theater's reopening ceremony. "America is a nation based on the principle of freedom of expression, established by 'magnificent disrupters.' With great optimism and confidence, our founding fathers broke with old ways of thinking and established a new country with its own special vision for the future. President Abraham Lincoln continued this tradition as a magnificent disruptor of his time. He called upon our nation to think in bigger and more optimistic ways about the possibilities for the future."

Pelosi went on to say that Lucas, who created the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" film franchises, is a magnificent disruptor of our time.

"He continues the kind of entrepreneurial, bold and disruptive thinking that will always keep our nation young and hopeful," she said. "George Lucas is grounded in history and wired for the future. With his art, George Lucas has taken us around the world and to a galaxy far, far away. He has ignited and inspired the imagination of millions. ... George Lucas is an American visionary."