Obama: Seeger Believed In The Power Of Community

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published January 28, 2014 at 4:18 PM EST

President Barack Obama is paying tribute to Pete Seeger for reminding us where we come from and showing us where we need to go.

Seeger, the veteran folk singer, died Monday night at age 94. The writer of "If I Had a Hammer" and "Turn, Turn, Turn," he welded his music to activism on issues of American workers and the disadvantaged.

Obama said Tuesday that Seeger believed in standing up for what is right and moving the country closer to the America he knew it could be. He says Seeger used his voice to strike blows for worker's rights and civil rights, world peace and environmental conservation. The president says Seeger believed deeply in the power of song and also in the power of community.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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