"In the music department at Universal Television in 1963 I was in one office, John Williams was in another, Quincy Jones, Dave Grusin, and Lalo Schifrin were all there. We'd try to outdo each other. It was a very creative time that doesn't exist now."
"Uhuru is Swahili for freedom, and that's the history of Africa -- everyone is fighting for Uhuru in one way or another either violently or strategically. He (Gene Roddenberry) says, 'It sounds too harsh for a female.' I said, 'Well why don't you do an alliteration of it, soften the end with an 'A' and it'll be Uhura?' He said 'That's it, that's your name! You named it, it's yours. Now I know exactly where your character comes from, the United States of Africa.'"
"We'd always talk so slowly on 'As the World Turns' originally. I can't tell you how many people say, 'I learned to speak English watching your show. Because you spoke slowly.'"
"George Wyle, the vocal director and who wrote all of the choir stuff and all of the duets, trios and things that I did with the guests, wrote a song just for the second Christmas show we did, called 'Most Wonderful Time of the Year.' I did that every Christmas, and then other people started doing it, and over 30 years, it's become a big standard."
"It was a great experience to have a part in the lives of 27,000 kids who've grown up."