31 Years of Skutniks: A Brief History of Special Guests at the State of the Union Address
31 Years of Skutniks: A Brief History of Special Guests at the State of the Union Address
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First Lady Hillary Clinton exchanges kisses from Rosa Parks prior to President Bill Clinton's State of the Union address on Capitol Hill, Jan. 19, 1999, in Washington. Clinton invited the Civil Rights icon as a guest while he sought support for his Initiative on Race.Luke Frazza—AFP/Getty Images
Named for Lenny Skutnik, the savior of a drowning jetliner passenger whose aircraft crashed into the Potomac River in 1982, these (mostly) heroic folks have been mainstays of the annual State of the Union address since Ronald Reagan started the tradition with Skutnik three decades ago.
Lenny Skutnik, who jumped into the Potomac River to save one of the passengers aboard an Air Florida jetliner that had crashed there on January 13, 1982, receives applause during Ronald Reagan's State of the Union address on Jan. 27, 1982.APNancy Reagan attends the State of the Union Address with Trevor Ferrell, Richard Cavioli, Shelby Butler and Tyrone Ford on Feb. 2, 1986. With the help of his family and local churches, 13-year-old Ferrell delivered food and blankets to the homeless in Philadelphia. Terry Ashe—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images Kristin Tanner, an eight grader at Field School in Northbrook, Ill., stands after being introduced during President Clinton's State of the Union Address Tuesday, Feb. 4, 1997, at the Capitol. Tanner was among several Illinois students who tested near the top in the Third International Math and Science Study.J. Scott Applewhite—APFirst Lady Hillary Clinton exchanges kisses from Rosa Parks prior to President Bill Clinton's State of the Union address on Capitol Hill, Jan. 19, 1999, in Washington. Clinton invited the Civil Rights icon as a guest while he sought support for his Initiative on Race.Luke Frazza—AFP/Getty ImagesFirst Lady Hillary Clinton (L) applauds major league baseball player Sammy Sosa, Jan. 19, 1999, during President Clinton's State of the Union address. Months earlier, the Cubs slugger broke Roger Maris' record for the most home runs.Luke Frazza—AFP/Getty ImagesHermis Moutardier, at right in a sling, attends President Bush's State of the Union address, Jan. 29, 2002. In December 2001, Moutardier and another flight attendant subdued Richard C. Reid, who tried to detonate a shoe bomb aboard their Paris-to-Miami flight.Susan Walsh—APFirst lady Laura Bush, right, applauds as Safia Taleb al-Suhail, leader of the Iraqi Women's Political Council, back to camera, hugs Janet Norwood of Pflugerville, Texas, on Capitol Hill, Feb. 2, 2005. Norwood's son, Sgt. Byron Norwood, was killed in Iraq in Nov. 2004.Gerald Herbert—APHouston Rockets center and Congolese native Dikembe Mutombo acknowledges the crowd during President Bush's State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 23, 2007. Mutombo raised $29 million to build the African country's newest hospital in 40 years.Susan Walsh—APIrvin Mayfield (2nd row: 2nd from left) attends President Bush's State of the Union speech on Jan. 28, 2008. After losing his family in Hurricane Katrina, the jazz trumpeter was named cultural ambassador for the City of New Orleans by Congress.Ron Edmonds—AP—ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Ambassador to Haiti, Raymond Joseph (center) attends President Obama's State of the Union speech on Jan. 27, 2010. Joseph helped Haiti with its first democratic election in 1990 and championed post-earthquake reconstruction.Toni L. Sandys—The Washington/Getty ImagesArizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' intern, Daniel Hernandez, listens to President Obama's State of the Union Address on Jan. 25, 2011. Hernandez is credited with saving Giffords' life after she was shot in the head during a constituent meet-and-greet at a Tuscon grocery store.Nicholas Kamm—AFP/Getty ImagesFirst Lady Michelle Obama receives applause prior to the start of President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech Jan 24, 2012 in Washington. Among the attendees is Admiral William McRaven who commands the Joint Special Operations Command and is credited with executing Operation Neptune's Spear, the specials ops raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden.Win McNamee—Getty ImagesFormer Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and her husband Mark Kelly listen to President Barack Obama deliver his State of the Union address to Congress in the House chamber on Feb. 12, 2013. Giffords was among 13 people wounded in a Jan. 2011 shooting rampage as she met with constituents outside a Tucson supermarket. Six people were killed.Tom Williams—Roll Call/Getty ImagesApple CEO Tim Cook is pictured before the State of the Union address by U.S. President Barack Obama on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 12, 2013. Cook announced at the end of last year that Apple will invest $100 million in domestic manufacturing to produce some Macs here.Jason Reed—ReutersDesiline Victor, 102, of Miami is applauded by White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, right, and others, during President Barack Obama's State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Feb. 12, 2013. Victor is being hailed as a champion voter after heading to her local polling place twice and waiting more than three hours in line to cast her vote. She was reportedly cheered by her fellow voters as she emerged from the polling place, her “I Voted” sticker firmly in hand. “I wanted to vote for my guy, my son, President Obama,” she told the Miami Herald.Jacquelyn Martin—APFirst Lady Michelle Obama hugs Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton as Nathaniel A. Pendleton Sr., left, look on before the start ofthe State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Feb. 12, 2013 at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. The Pendletons are the parents of Hadiya, a fifteen year-old who was gunned down in Chicago's South Side just days after she performed at Barack Obama’s inauguration on Jan. 21.Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images
