Washington, DC
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
President Obama participated in an event honoring the 13 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in an East Room ceremony at the White House.
The Medal of Freedom is America's highest civilian honor and recognizes exceptional meritorious service. It was created in 1963 by Former President John F. Kennedy through an Executive Order. Recipient Bios from the White House
The following individuals received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at Tuesday's ceremony:
Madeleine Albright - 64th U.S. Secretary of State, the first woman to hold that position
John Doar - Former Justice Department official that led federal efforts
to protect and enforce civil rights during the 1960s
( Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images /
May 29, 2012 )
"It was a scorching hot day in 1963, and Mississippi was on the verge of a massacre. The funeral procession for Medgar Evers had just disbanded, and a group of marchers was throwing rocks at a line of equally defiant and heavily-armed policemen. And suddenly, a white man in shirtsleeves, hands raised, walked towards the protestors and talked them into going home peacefully. And that man was John Doar. He was the face of the Justice Department in the South. He was proof that the federal government was listening. And over the years, John escorted James Meredith to the University of Mississippi. He walked alongside the Selma-to-Montgomery March. He laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In the words of John Lewis, “He gave [civil rights workers] a reason not to give up on those in power.” And he did it by never giving up on them. And I think it’s fair to say that I might not be here had it not been for his work."
Bob Dylan - Influential American musician
“Today, everybody from Bruce Springsteen to U2 owes Bob a debt of gratitude. There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music. I have to say I am a big fan."
Read more: Presidential Medal of Freedom
William Foege - Physician and epidemiologist that led the successful
campaign to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s
“In the 1960s, more than 2 million people died from smallpox every
year. Just over a decade later, that number was zero — 2 million to
zero, thanks, in part, to Dr. Bill Foege. As a young medical missionary
working in Nigeria, Bill helped develop a vaccination strategy that
would later be used to eliminate smallpox from the face of the Earth.
And when that war was won, he moved on to other diseases, always trying
to figure out what works. In one remote Nigerian village, after
vaccinating 2,000 people in a single day, Bill asked the local chief how
he had gotten so many people to show up. And the chief explained that
he had told everyone to come see — to “come to the village and see the
tallest man in the world.” Today, that world owes that really tall man
a great debt of gratitude.”
John Glenn - Former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut and United States Senator
Gordon Hirabayashi - He openly defied the forced relocation and
internment of Japanese Americans during World War II
“Gordon Hirabayashi knew what it was like to stand alone. As a student
at the University of Washington, Gordon was one of only three Japanese
Americans to defy the executive order that forced thousands of families
to leave their homes, their jobs, and their civil rights behind and move
to internment camps during World War II. He took his case all the way
to the Supreme Court, and he lost. In Gordon’s words, ‘It takes a crisis to tell us that unless citizens
are willing to stand up for the Constitution, it’s not worth the paper
it’s written on.’ And this country is better off because of citizens
like him who are willing to stand up.”
Members
of the Japanese-American Mochida family awaiting re-location
to a camp, Hayward, Calif., in May 1942.
to a camp, Hayward, Calif., in May 1942.
(Photo by Dorothea Lange/Getty Images)
Gordon Hirabayashi as a young college student
Hirabayashi ended up hitchhiking to Arizona to serve his time in an
internment camp. The site of his internment is now the Gordon
Hirabayashi Recreation Site in the Coronado National Forest, on the
slopes of Mount Lemmon just outside of Tucson.
Dolores Huerta - Notable human right activist and co-founder of
the National Farmworkers Association in 1962
"Dolores was very gracious when I told her I had stolen her slogan,
'Si, se puede.' Yes, we can," Obama said during the Medal of Freedom
ceremony. "Knowing her, I'm pleased she let me off easy, because
Dolores does not play." News OK
Jan Karski, who served as an officer in the Polish Underground during World War II, was among the first to provide eyewitness accounts of Nazi Germany’s murder of the Jews. Karski, who died in 2000, was cited by President Obama as being among the Righteous of the Nations. “Among them was Jan Karski,” a young Polish Catholic who witnessed Jews being put on cattle cars, who saw the killings, and who told the truth, all the way to President Roosevelt himself.” said Obama in a speech given at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. in April.
Juliette Gordon Low - Founded the Girl Scouts in 1912
“Growing up in Georgia in the late 1800s, Juliette Gordon Low was not exactly typical. She flew airplanes. She went swimming. She experimented with electricity for fun. (Laughter.) And she recognized early on that in order to keep up with the changing times, women would have to be prepared. So at age 52, after meeting the founder of the Boy Scouts in England, Juliette came home and called her cousin and said, “I’ve got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world. And we’re going to start it tonight!” A century later, almost 60 million Girl Scouts have gained leadership skills and self-confidence through the organization that she founded. They include CEOs, astronauts, my own Secretary of State. And from the very beginning, they have also included girls of different races and faiths and abilities, just the way that Juliette would have wanted it.”
Toni Morrison - Celebrated American novelist
Shimon Peres - Advocate for Israel's security and for peace
Shimon Peres, president of Israel. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his work during the Middle East peace talks that led to the Oslo Accords. He will receive his medal at a separate event.
Shimon Peres, president of Israel. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his work during the Middle East peace talks that led to the Oslo Accords. He will receive his medal at a separate event.
John Paul Stevens - Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1975 to 2010
Pat Summitt - All-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history
“When one doctor told Pat Summitt she suffered from dementia, she almost punched
him. When a second doctor advised her to retire, she responded, ‘Do you know who
you are dealing with here?’ Obviously they did not. As Pat says, ‘I can fix a
tractor, mow hay, plow a field, chop tobacco, fire a barn and call the cows, but
what I’m really known for is winning.’ In 38 years at Tennessee she racked up
eight national championships, more than 1,000 wins. Understand, this is more
than any college coach, male or female, in the history of the NCAA. And more
importantly, every player that has gone through her program has either graduated
or is on her way to a degree. That’s why anybody who feels sorry for Pat will
find himself on the receiving end of that famous glare. Or she might punch you.
She still is getting up every day and doing what she does best, which is teaching. The players, she says, are her best
medicine.”
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