Richards was presented with the Key to the State
Legendary Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards was honored with the inaugural Connecticut Governor’s Award for Excellence by Gov. Ned Lamont today (Wed, Mar 5th) at the Westport Library in Westport, Connecticut for his contributions to the state’s cultural and civic life. In addition to this prestigious recognition, the longtime Connecticut resident was presented with the “Key to the State.”
“I’d like to say thank you to you all, and thank you to the state of Connecticut. You kind of get lost for words with something like this around your neck. I’ve been here for 40 years and it’s been a great place for me. I brought the kids up here. I was interested when the kids were here and I said I have to get the kids out of New York City so they could get some fresh air to breathe. So, we moved up here, and every ever since, we’ve had a great life.… I’m incredibly happy about everything, especially things like this, because you don’t get them every day,” Richards said his acceptance speech.
“This is a great building, a wonderful library, which even I didn’t know the full extent of. As Bill was saying earlier, without our books, without knowing things, without knowing their special meaning — this isn’t movies, this is not someone drawing you images. This is a book, and you have the movie in your head. It’s very important that we keep our books unburnt.”
Approximately 200 invited guests were in attendance in the Westport Library’s Trefz Forum, as Richards accepted his award.
The award, officially given to Richards by Connecticut First Lady Ann Lamont, consisted of a custom-designed medallion — crafted by State Trooper Danny Carvalho and manufactured by the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) — along with a ribbon designed and sewn by Enfield-based fashion designer Justin Haynes.
The Connecticut Governor’s Award of Excellence is a prestigious new honor celebrating residents who epitomize the state’s core values: creativity, resourcefulness, passion, dynamism, and generosity.
