President Awards 16 with Medal of Freedom

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USA TODAY
By Cindy Clark


WASHINGTON — The East Room of the White House was full of top contributors to the arts, science, sports and humanities as President Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 16 honorees Wednesday afternoon.

"The truest test of a person's life is what we do for one another," Obama said in kicking off the ceremony.

The Medal Recipients are:

MEDAL RECIPIENTS

• Nancy Goodman Brinker, the founder of breast cancer organization Susan G. Komen for the Cure

• Pedro Jos Greer Jr., a Miami physician who works with the city's poor and homeless

• Stephen Hawking, British physicist

• Jack Kemp, politician and sports icon

• Sen. Edward Kennedy

• Billie Jean King, tennis pro

• Joseph Lowery, civil rights movement champion

• Joseph Medicine Crow, 95, last living Plains Indian war chief

• Harvey Milk, gay rights activist

• Sandra Day O'Connor, first woman on U.S. Supreme Court

• Sidney Poitier, actor and ambassador

• Chita Rivera, singer, dancer, actress

• Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland

• Janet Davison Rowley, the first scientist to identify the causes of leukemia and other cancers

• Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid activist

• Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank to provide loans to the poor in his native Bangladesh

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a decoration bestowed by the President of the United States and is, along with the equivalent Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of Congress, the highest civilian award in the United States. It is designed to recognize individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." The award is not limited to United States citizens and, while a civilian award, can also be awarded to military personnel and worn on the uniform.

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President Obama shares a laugh with Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
Chita Rivera, who, as a Puerto Rican American, broke barriers as an
actress, singer and dancer to become a Broadway star in West Side Story

Obama reaches around Joe Medicine Crow's headdress to give the Plains
Indian war chief his medal, at which point Crow proclaimed, "I am highly
honored!"

British physicist Stephen Hawking delivers a lecture on
"The Origin of the Universe" at the Heysel conference
hall in Brussels in this May 20, 2007 file photo. Hawking,
67, one of the world's foremost physicists and the
acclaimed author of "A Brief History of Time",

Poitier was one of 16 recipients of
the medal. Poitier, 82, displayed
characteristic stoicism as President
Obama hung the blue-ribboned medal
around his neck. The White House
was told the actor had "left an
indelible mark on American culture"
and "advanced the nation's dialogue
on race and respect".

President Barack Obama places
a 2009 Presidential Medal of
Freedom around the neck of
Muhammad Yunus at the White
House, 12 Aug 2009.
Muhammad Yunus says he is on
a mission to make the financial
system accessible to every human
being on the planet, whether
they reside in a village in his
native Bangladesh, or in the
financial capital of the world,
New York City. "Now we can
build a new kind of financial
system, a financial system
which can work just like we do
in Jackson Heights, giving people
who are never able to open even
a bank account, forget about
taking a loan," said Muhammad Yunus.

 

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A statesman and a sports icon, Jack French Kemp
advocated for his beliefs with an unwavering integrity
and intellectual honesty. On the football field, he
earned the respect and admiration of his teammates
for his judgment and leadership. As a public servant,
he placed country before party, and ideas before
ideology. Jack Kemp saw bridges where others saw
divisions, and his legacy serves as a shining example
for all who strive to challenge conventional wisdom,
stay true to themselves and better our nation.

President Barack Obama presents a 2009 Medal of
Freedom to Nancy Goodman Brinker, the founder of
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's leading
breast cancer grassroots organization named for
Brinker's sister, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, in the
East Room of the White House in Washington. AP
Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Dr. Pedro José Greer Jr. will receive the U.S.
Presidential Medal of Freedom. PEDRO PORTAL
/ EL NUEVO HERALD FILE, 2005. Dr. Pedro
Dean of Academic Affairs at the Florida
International University School of Medicine,
where he also serves as Chair of the Department
of Humanities, Health and Society. Dr. Greer
is the founder of Camillus Health Concern, an
agency that provides medical care to over
10,000 homeless patients a year in the city
of Miami. He is also the founder and medical
director of the St. John Bosco Clinic which
provides basic primary medical care to
disadvantaged children and adults in the Little
Havana community. He has been recognized by
Presidents Clinton, Bush, Sr., and Carter for his
work with Miami's poor . He is also the recipient
of three Papal Medals as well as the prestigious
MacArthur "genius grant". He currently has a
joint private practice with his father, Pedro Greer,
Sr.