For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 20, 2002
President Bush Announced the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
**updated June 21, 2002**
President George W. Bush today announced the recipients of the
Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the
Nation's highest civilian honor. It was established by President
Truman in 1945 to recognize civilians for their service during World
War II, and it was reinstated by President Kennedy in 1963 to honor
distinguished service. President Bush will award the Medals of Freedom
to the recipients at a ceremony in July.
Hank Aaron is one of the most accomplished players in the history
of baseball. Aaron holds the career records for home runs, 755 in his
23-year career, runs-batted-in and total bases. He was inducted into
the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. Mr. Aaron played first on a
professional Negro League team, and was then recruited by the Milwaukee
Braves and sent to a minor league team in Jacksonville, Florida, where
he was one of the first black players to break the color line in the
deep South. Mr. Aaron was undeterred in his pursuit of excellence by
frequent encounters with racism throughout his career.
Bill Cosby became one of the most popular television performers of
the 1980's with the success of The Cosby Show, which revolutionized the
portrayal of African Americans on television. Throughout his career,
Dr. Cosby has appealed to the common humanity of his audience, rather
than the differences that might divide it. Dr. Cosby's career has
included stand up comedy, the adventure show, I Spy, situation comedies
and children's programming that highlighted his interest and dedication
to education.
Placido Domingo has become a world renowned opera singer, conductor
and arts administrator over his 44-year career. He was blessed with an
unusually flexible voice, which has allowed him to perform in 118
different roles, more than any other tenor in the annals of opera
performance. As a conductor, he has led opera performances at such
opera houses as the Metropolitan and the Weiner Staatsoper, and he has
conducted such orchestras as the Chicago and London Symphonies. Mr.
Domingo presently serves as the Artistic Director of the Washington
Opera and the Los Angeles Opera.
Dr. Peter Drucker is the worlds foremost pioneer of management theory. Dr. Drucker has championed concepts such as privatization, management by objective and decentralization. He has served as a consultant to numerous governments, public service institutions and major corporations. Dr. Drucker is a Professor of Social Sciences and Management at the Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, which named its Graduate School of Management after him. He helped establish and continues to serve as the Honorary Chairman of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management in New York City, which awards the Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation. He is currently applying his expertise to the management of churches and other faith-based institutions and to the reorganization of universities worldwide.
Katharine Graham led the Washington Post to its place as one of the
Nation's leading daily newspapers and was known as an editor who
maintained excellence by supporting her reporters and encouraging those
who worked for her. Her tenure at the helm of the Post was marked by
aggressive pursuit of stories like the publication of the "Pentagon
Papers" and the burglary at the Democratic National Committee
headquarters at the Watergate complex. Graham continued as Chairwoman
of the Post until 1993.
Dr. D.A. Henderson is best known for his leadership of the World
Health Organization's global smallpox eradication campaign from 1966 to
1977. He was also instrumental in initiating the WHO's global program
of immunization which now vaccinates approximately 80 percent of the
world's children against six major diseases. Dr. Henderson's
government service includes time at the Office of Science and
Technology Policy and the Department of Health the Human Services in
the early 1990's. In 1986, he was awarded the National Medal of
Science. Dr. Henderson is currently the director of the recently
established Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies.
Irving Kristol is an author, editor and professor who is one of the
leading intellectuals of his time. Mr. Kristol's writings helped lay
the intellectual groundwork for the renaissance of conservative ideas
in the last half of the 20th Century. His approach adapted traditional
conservative thought with contemporary societal issues and became the
framework for compassionate conservatism. Mr. Kristol was the Henry
R. Luce Professor of Urban Values at New York University and the John
M. Olin Professor of Social Thought at the New York University Graduate
School of Business Administration.
Nelson Mandela led the fight to end apartheid in South Africa over
the course of his 57-year public life. Mr. Mandela was imprisoned by
the South African government in 1962 and was released on February 11,
1990. After his release, Mr. Mandela was elected President of the
African National Congress in 1991 and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in
1993. He was inaugurated as the first democratically elected State
President of South Africa on May 10, 1994 and served until he retired
from public life in 1999.
Gordon Moore is the co-founder of the Intel Corporation and
directed the company's growth as the most successful developer of the
microchip. Dr. Moore received the National Medal of Technology in
1990. After retiring from Intel in 1995, Dr. Moore and his wife Betty
became increasingly involved in philanthropic activities. In November
2000, they established the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation with a
multibillion-dollar contribution. The Foundation funds projects in
four major program areas: higher education; scientific research; the
environment; and San Francisco Bay Area projects.
Nancy Reagan became First Lady of the United States in 1980 when
her husband Ronald Reagan was elected the 40th President. As First
Lady, Mrs. Reagan traveled extensively as a spokeswoman for the "Just
Say No" Foundation and its philosophy. After leaving the White House,
she has continued her work against drug and alcohol abuse through the
Nancy Reagan Foundation. She has also worked to promote the Foster
Grandparent program, and co-authored the book To Love a Child to raise
funds for the program.
Fred Rogers hosted Mister Rogers' Neighborhood for over three
decades, making the show the longest running program in the history of
public broadcasting. All of his work has been emblematic of the same
philosophy and goal: to encourage the healthy emotional growth of
children and their families. Mr. Rogers is an ordained Presbyterian
minister and the recipient of numerous awards over his career including
induction into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999.
A.M. Rosenthal has been a reporter, correspondent, editor and
columnist for the New York Times since the early 1940's. His work has
sought to highlight the suffering of oppressed peoples, especially
religious minorities. His newspaper career has taken him around the
world. In 1960, Rosenthal was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his
reporting from Poland. He returned to New York to become an editor in
1963, and he went on to oversee daily news operations of the Times for
close to 16 years and Sunday operations for close to 10 years.
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