This letter and presentation (a framed proposed Presidential Gold Medal of Democracy for Dr. Height) is in part a response to Mrs. Cosby’s eulogy for Dr. Dorothy Irene Height at the National Cathedral funeral service on April 29, 2010. And to Mr. Cosby’s May 4, Web site and Facebook invitation to express ideas that were meaningful to me from her eulogy. It’s also partly an aspiration of mine as proposed in my new book; The Forty-Fourth Shall Be the First: I Am a Witness. We Are All Witnesses, wherein I propose that President Barack Obama issue an executive order for the establishment of a new medal and portrait called the Presidential Gold Medal of Democracy and Portrait of American Democracy Advocates, and that Dorothy Height be among the first honorees and recipients. (Please see the proposed draft of an executive order in my the book.) We as individuals are all blessed with beautiful strands of thread. We make a choice to use them or not. Dorothy Irene Height made a deliberate decision to use her strands as a democracy weaver. She weaved a life of service and love. And her 98-year-old tapestry is indeed beautiful. Now, Dorothy Height has bequeathed America her splendid tapestry and unused strands of golden thread. Camille O. Cosby's eulogy for Height was a clarion call for us to use Height’s tapestry as a pattern and become master weavers. She also reminded us that Height enjoyed weaving beautiful silk purses from the sow’s ears of certain “isms” —racism, sexism, classism and ageism. It is the responsibility of each succeeding generation of Americans to continue the unfinished work of democracy weavers. We the living must interlace our threads of beautiful and brilliant colors of patriotism, courage, service and love of country with that of our predecessors to perpetuate this beautiful multicolored democracy that we call America. When we do this, we are embracing and celebrating our oneness as Americans and our diversity as human beings. Dr. Dorothy Irene Height truly loved her country and was an extraordinary master weaver of democracy. © 2010, Carl Gordon. All rights reserved. E-mail: cg@44isthefirst.com