Wednesday’s Medal of Freedom recipients
• Bill Clinton, the 42nd president and former Arkansas governor.
• Oprah Winfrey, broadcaster, actress, activist and philanthropist.
• Daniel Inouye, former senator from Hawaii, World War II veteran and the first Japanese American in Congress. Received award posthumously.
• Ben Bradlee, former executive editor of the Washington Post who oversaw the newspaper’s coverage of Watergate.
• Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space. Received award posthumously.
• Richard Lugar, former senator from Indiana who worked to reduce the global nuclear threat.
• Gloria Steinem, writer and prominent women’s rights activist.
• Ernie Banks, baseball player who hit more than 500 home runs and played 19 seasons with the Chicago Cubs.
• Bayard Rustin, civil and gay rights activist and adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. Received award posthumously.
• Daniel Kahneman, psychologist who won the Nobel Prize in Economics.
• Loretta Lynn, country music singer.
• Maria Molina, chemist and environmental scientist who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry.
• Arturo Sandoval, Grammy-winning jazz musician who was born in Cuba and defected to the U.S.
• Dean Smith, head coach of University of North Carolina’s basketball team for 36 years.
• Patricia Wald, first woman appointed to U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and became the court’s chief judge.
• C.T. Vivian, civil rights leader and minister.
Fifty years after the Presidential Medal of Freedom was established, President Barack Obama presented the nation’s highest civilian award Wednesday to 16 Americans from fields as diverse as science, politics and sports, calling the occasion “one of my favorite events every year.”
The day of tributes began at the White House, where Obama presented the awards ahead of Friday’s 50-year anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas. Following the medal ceremony, Obama and former President Bill Clinton, also a recipient, and their wives headed to Arlington National Cemetery, where they placed a large wreath of white flowers in front of the grave site of America’s 35th president, marked by an ever-burning flame.
Each president held hands with Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy, as they climbed a flight of stairs to the burial site on a steep hillside overlooking the nation’s capital.
Kennedy established the modern version of the Medal of Freedom but was gunned down by Lee Harvey Oswald on Nov. 22, 1963, just weeks before he was to honor the inaugural group of recipients. Hundreds of notable figures since have received the honor.
“Today, we salute fierce competitors who became true champions,” Obama said at the East Room ceremony. “These are the men and women who in their extraordinary lives remind us all of the beauty of the human spirit, the values that define us as Americans, the potential that lives inside of all of us.”
The group of winners, a remarkable collection of achievement, was, in a way, also a commemoration of Obama’s Chicago ties as well as his debt to the African-American civil rights movement. Obama said a few words about each recipient.
Of Clinton, he said the Arkansas Democrat’s presidency marked just the start of his work to make the world a better place, crediting his post-presidency humanitarian efforts as helping to save or improve the lives of millions worldwide.
“I’m grateful, Bill, as well, for the advice and counsel that you’ve offered me, on and off the golf course,” Obama said to chuckles.
Two of the winners were noted civil rights leaders, including the late Bayard Rustin who won fame as an organizer for events such as the 1963 march on Washington. He was also openly gay and paid a price in abuse from opponents and from some other black leaders who were allies on racial issues. Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian is the living civil rights leader, minister and author who was also honored.
Three people from the world of journalism were honored, most notably Oprah Winfrey, the Chicago journalist who rose to stardom as a talk show host, actress, and activist. Her early support of Obama — in 2006 before the relatively unknown U.S. Sen. Obama formally declared his presidential campaign — helped propel him to early presidential primary victories.
The late Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, was among the honorees. She didn’t just break the stratospheric glass ceiling, “she blasted right through it,” the president said, noting how Ride changed a woman’s role.
“Young girls need to see role models, she said. You can’t be what you can’t see,” Obama said. “Today our daughters, including Malia and Sasha, can set their sights a little bit higher because Sally Ride showed them the way.”
The president made a point of highlighting those who had overcome additional obstacles and stigmatization because they are gay, black, female or Asian.
The White House described the winners as “individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
About the Author
