The President of the Republic of Estonia, Kadriorg, August 27, 2012
Dear Mr. Fuyuume and Friends of Estonia at the SECC,
The history of every land and every nation is made up of the lives of its people, the choices they make and the things they have done – be that of their own free will, or under duress. That is why it is so important to record peopleʼs stories and to document the histories of different communities.
Due to the outbreak of war, the ensuing occupations and the destruction of their state, many Estonians were forced to flee their homeland and seek new lives abroad. One of those places was Seabrook. The work that your center does – recording the history of the different communities represented in Seabroook, including the fates of many Estonians – is therefore veryimportant to us.
You might even say that you are preserving a fragment of Estoniaʼs history, and showcasing it for researchers and others who are interested in the subject. Alongside other nations, you are recording how Estonians coped in the new and complex situation they found themselves in, as well as the contribution they have made to American society. I am extremely grateful to you for this and hope that the important work you are doing to chronicle and promote the stories of so many people and nations continues. After all, it is all too easy for things which seem such an integral part of our lives today to become rare or simply vanish forever.
Let me thank you personally, as I thank everyone who contributes to the work of and otherwise supports the SECC.
With warmest regards,
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
