The American Jewish Committee honored George Lucas Wednesday for a lifetime spent attempting to fuse technology and art, science and emotion, for the enrichment of those around him.
Fellow director Steven Spielberg showered Lucas with compliments when presenting his longtime friend and collaborator with the committee's Sherrill C. Corwin Human Relations Award.
"I think that the last third of the twentieth century owes a great deal of its collective imagination to this man," Spielberg said. "He created a modern mythology called 'Star Wars' that literally and virtually changed the world that we live in, work in, and entertain in."
"Countless millions of children who first felt the Force in 1977 also had their first brush with something called inspiration. In many instances, it probably changed the direction their lives would have taken had Star Wars just been Ronald Reagan’s anti-ballistic missile program."
"George is an exceptional architect. He builds really cool stuff."
Spielberg also praised his friend's "interest in the moral and spiritual rites of human beings everywhere, which is why this award and George Lucas are a perfect fit."
The AJC is a non-profit organization that struggles to promote cooperation between members of different faiths and ethnic groups. It often bestows its Corwin Award on prominent figures in the entertainment industry -- both Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, his partner in Dreamworks SKG, are past recipients.
Lucas received the award at a fund-raising banquet at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. In keeping with the nature of his accomplishments, the ceremony was entitled "A Celebration of the World of Imagination" and was accompanied with a book and short film.
Trust your feelings
In accepting the honor, the father of the Force offered a glimpse into his own spiritual beliefs.
"I spend a great deal of my life concerned about education that will hopefully teach people to be compassionate and wise in their relationships with other people," he said. "That’s one of the answers to the problems of mankind. "
"We have a gift that God has given us, and that’s our brain. If we use it, we can accomplish almost anything. But we must use it in ways not only intellectual, but also emotional. And we must advance equally in our emotional lives as in our intellectual ones."
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