2000 Flame of Hope Award —Paul Simon

Paul Simon

From “The Sounds of Silence” to “The Obvious Child”, Paul Simon has proved to be one of the most talented songwriters of the last 30 years. He is one of a handful of musicians who is able to write both intelligent lyrics and sophisticated music. 

Rock and roll has just emerged on the scene when Simon met Art Garfunkel, and the two discovered they shared a love of Elvis Presley and Bill Haley. Their one big hit under the name “Tom and Jerry” was a little ditty called “Hey Schoolgirl”, which sold 100,000 copies and got them onto American Bandstand. 

Paul Simon has also produced several musicals. They include “One Trick Pony” and “The Capeman”. He has been recognized as a musical visionary, introducing the world to the sound of South African music and winning a Grammy in 1987 for his album Graceland. 

In 1987, along with New York pediatrician Irwin Redlener, Paul Simon began the New York Children’s Health Project to bring healthcare directly to homeless children in New York City. From that project grew the Children’s Health Fund, an organization that helps create and sustain mobile medical clinics throughout the country. Eighteen are now in existence. Recognizing the need for such a program in the nation’s capital, the Children’s Health Fund turned to Georgetown’s Department of Pediatrics, and in October 1992 the Pediatric Mobile Clinic began operating.