President Barack Obama will honor a diverse cross-section of political and cultural icons.  The Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor. It is presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the national interests of the United States, to world peace or to other significant endeavors.  The medal may be given posthumously.

 _Madeleine Albright,  former Secretary of State

_John Glenn, astronaut

_Pat Summitt ,basketball coach

_ Bob Dylan ,rock legend

_Toni Morrison, author of such novels as “Song of Solomon” and “Beloved.”

_John Paul Stevens, former Supreme Court Justice.

_Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts.

_Shimon Peres, former president of Israel.

_John Doar, who handled civil rights cases as assistant attorney general in the 1960s.

_William Foege, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who helped lead the effort to eradicate smallpox.

_Gordon Hirabayashi, who fought the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

_Jan Karski, a resistance fighter against the Nazi occupation of Poland during World War II.

_Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers of America.

Do you have a favorite on this list?  I have several.  I call 3 of them.

Addendum:
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 Who would have ever thunk it?  Do you think this ruins Dylans reputation as Mr. Anti-Establishment?  I never thought I would see the day.  Dylan reminded me of a cross between Sgt. Pepper and captain Kangaroo.

14 Thoughts to “Medal of Freedom Recipients 2012”

  1. I was just thrilled to see Bob Dylan. (also Justice Stevens and Madylyn Albright)

    It is the highest civilian honor that can be bestowed.

  2. punchak

    I’m delighted to see Dolores Huerta being recognized for her lifelong work for the farmworkers. They were the lowest of the low on the totem pole, not only in California, but in every state where migrant farms workers were used. They were at the mercy of leaches who hired whole families, put them up in shacks without plumbing, children were working with their parents. Very often they worked without any outhouses or any fresh water in the fields. In l965, Huerta and Cesar Chavez started the Delano grape strike which lasted until l970, when things had improved.
    For 5 years our family neither ate California grapes nor drank California wines.
    I only wish Chavez could join Huerta!

    There was a TV show titled “Harvest of shame” dealing with the farmworkers’ plight. Sorry to say that, even if conditions have improved, the migrant farmworkers are still being used by unsavory characters.

  3. Scout

    It’s a superb list, although I think I would try to recognize folks who are still with us (the posthumous field is a vast one and perhaps we should give ourselves an incentive to reach these people with our appreciation in their lifetimes). As one whose formative years, for better or worse, were in the decade of the 60s, I have to be excited about seeing Colonel Glenn and Bob Dylan receiving the same medal at the same time. One was in space about the time the other was chewing up the Newport Folk Festival. They were both iconic figures of their time. I’d wager my largest routine wager ( a nickel) that neither thought they’d both receive this medal on the same stage.

  4. Cindy B

    Glad to see Juliette Gordon Low of Savannah honored. There’s a Gold Award ceremony for a young woman tomorrow in the City of Manassas. Juliette’s legacy of leadership and service lives on and will be celebrated with thousands of girls on the national mall next month.

  5. @punchak
    Thanks for sharing that information. Those of us on the east coast knew very little about those conditions.

  6. @Scout

    Good wager, Scout. I think you would win. Did Dylan ever smile? I had to leave before he actually got his reward. In some ways, they both represented the same spirit of the 60s. (looking back on it) ON the other hand, we couldn’t get more opposite. I could argue both ways.

    I tihnk that Lowe was honored only because the GSA had their 100th anniversary. Otherwise, I agree….let’s honor the living.

  7. punchak

    @Moon-howler
    I’d suggest that everyone takes a look at Edward R. Murrow’s 1960 report
    on the subject. “Harvest of shame” deals quite a bit with migrant workers on the east coast as well.

  8. punchak

    @Moon-howler
    I’m curious to know why you think Bob Dylan deserves this medal?

    1. He influenced entire generations musically for 60 years. He has written over 600 songs and has influenced our musical greats. He has performed many of those songs himself. His music has “lead” at least 2 major social movements in the United States. Nearly every folk singer in America has sung Dylan Music. Many different American music icons have performed Dylan music. He has done cross over with country, folks, pop, etc.

  9. Cindy B

    Sixty-four% percent of today’s women leaders in the U.S. were once Girl Scouts. Some of the “Famous Formers” include:

    BUSINESS
    Dole, Elizabeth – Former President, American Red Cross
    Juliber, Lois – President, Colgate Palmolive
    Newkerk, Deborah – President, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi

    EDUCATORS
    Jones, Elaine – Head of NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund
    McAuliffe, Christa – Teacher and Astronaut
    McGuire, Patricia – President, Trinity College

    FIRST FAMILY
    Bush, Laura – Wife of President George Bush, Jr (43rd President)
    Carter, Rosalyn- Wife of President Jimmy Carter (39th President)
    Reagan, Nancy – Wife of Ronald Reagan (40th President)
    Rodham Clinton, Hillary – US Senator & Wife of Bill Clinton (42nd President)

    GOVERNMENT
    Albright, Madeleine – former US Secretary of State
    Ferraro, Geraldine – former House Representative for New York and VP candidate
    Ray, Dixie Lee – former Governor of Washington, Chair of the Atomic Energy Commission

    HEALTH, SCIENCE & TECH
    Brothers, Joyce, Dr. – Psychologist; Radio & TV Personality
    Collins, Lt Col Eileen – 1st Woman Space Shuttle Commander Astronaut
    Davis, Jan – Astronaut
    Fisher, Anna, Dr. – Astronaut
    Hughes Fulford, Millie, Dr. – Former Astronaut; Head of Research Lab
    Jemison, Mae – Astronaut
    Jernigan, Tamara, Dr. – Astronaut
    Resnick, Judith – Astronaut
    Ride, Sally, Dr. – Astronaut, first woman in Space
    Rosenweig, Cynthia – NASA Research Scientist
    Seddon, Rhea, Dr. – Astronaut
    Sharman, Helen – First British woman in space
    Sullivan, Kathryn, Dr. – Astronaut
    Thornton, Kathryn, Dr. – Astronaut

    JUDGES
    Day O’Connor, Sandra – Associate Justice, US Supreme Court

    LAW ENFORCEMENT
    Berry, Linda – FBI Agent
    Walls, Juanita – FBI Agent
    Watson, Elizabeth – Houston Police Chief

    MEDIA
    Couric, Kathleen – Anchorwoman, “Today Show”
    Pauley, Jane – TV reporter, “Dateline”
    Sweeney, Anne – President, Disney/ABC Cable Network
    Walters, Barbara – Anchorwoman of ABC “20/20”
    Woodruff, Judy – Anchor & Senior Correspondent, CNN

    MILITARY
    Allison, Jacqueline – Rear Admiral/Navy
    Edmunds, Jeanette – Colonel, US Army War Reserve
    Elliot, Carol C. – Brigadier General, USAF
    Engel, Joan – Rear Admiral, Director, Health & Safety
    Fishburne, Lillian – Rear Admiral/Navy
    Frost, Kathy – The Adjutant General of the Army
    Johnson, Joyce – Rear Admiral, Director, Health & Safety
    McGann, Barbara – Rear Admiral/Navy
    Paige, Kathleen K – RADM, VSN
    Stierle, Linda – Brigadier General
    Widnall, Sheila – US Secretary of Air Force–retired
    Williamson, Myrna, Gen. – Retired Army General

    PERFORMING ARTS
    Anderson, Marion- Singer
    Ball, Lucille – Comedienne
    Bergen, Candace – Actress (Murphy Brown and Boston Legal)
    Black, Shirley Temple – Actress and US Ambassador
    Fanning, Dakota -Actress
    Hayes, Helen – Actress
    Merchant, Natalie – Singer
    Reynolds, Debbie – Actress
    Tyler Moore, Mary – Actress (Mary Tyler Moore Show)

    PUBLISHING
    Moore, Ann – Publisher, “People” magazine
    Taylor, Susan – Editor-in-Chief, “Essence” Magazine
    Wolf, Wendy – Senior Editor, Harper Collins

    SPORTS
    Bell, Judy – Former President, US Golf Association; amateur golfer
    Blair, Bonnie – ’94 Gold Olympian Speed Skater
    Evans, Janet – ’92 800m freestyle gold medallist
    Fleming, Peggy – ’68 figure skating gold Olympian
    Griffith-Joyner, Florence – Olympic gold medalist
    Hamill, Dorothy – ’76 figure skating gold Olympian
    Joyner-Kersee, Jacqueline – ’88 Long Jump Gold Olympian
    Rigby-Mason, Cathy – Olympic Gymnast & TV Commentator
    Thompson, Jenny – ’96 Gold Olympian Swimmer
    Williams, Venus – Tennis Pro

    WRITERS/AUTHORS
    Bombeck Erma, Author
    Dove, Rita – ’93 US Poet Laureate
    VanBuren, Abigail – Advice Columnist
    Viorst, Judith – Author of Poetry Collections, children books

    OTHER
    Elizabeth II – Queen of Great Britain
    Guisewaite, Cathy -Cartoonist
    Princess Anne – Olympian and President of Save the Children

  10. Second Alamo

    All Dylan could say was Thaaaaaaaannnnnnnk yooooooooooouuuuuuu Mr. Preeessssiiiident!

    1. I didn’t even hear him bleat that out, SA. Did you see the Pres. laughing before he bestowed the medal. It was amusing and I’d love to know what he was thinking. Dylan had declined the invitation to remove his glasses and he wore a Capt. Kangaroo suit. I was thinking that Pres. Obama probably didn’t know what was going to crawl out of that hair.

  11. Emma

    @Cindy B Were any of them lucky enough to have CindyB as their leader? 🙂

  12. Cindy B

    🙂 @Emma

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