Former Yankees catcher and all-around baseball icon Yogi Berra will posthumously receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday, November 24 at a ceremony held at the White House.
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The event was broadcast live on C-SPAN from Washington, D.C. Obama gave the nation’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to 17 Americans.
Among the politicians honored were Senator Barbara Mikulski, the longest-serving female USA senator in history, and Shirley Chisholm, who in 1968 became the first African-American woman to be elected to Congress.
“A bunch of people were saying I was pretty busy today, which is true, but this is a fun kind of busy right here”, said Obama, who had earlier that day met with French president François Hollande to discuss the global response to the Islamic State. Mays, he said, was such a giant that it allowed “someone like me” to consider running for president.
“Stephen’s music is so handsome and his lyrics so precise, that even as he exposes the imperfections of everyday life he transcends them”. She inserted language into the Affordable Care Act that ensured certain preventive care for women would be covered for free. – A Native American activist who “devoted his life to protecting the rights of Native Americans and to conserving our planet”.
Former EPA head Bill Ruckleshaus of Indianapolis was also honored by the President.
The diversity of Berra and his 16 co-recipients this year – singer Gloria Estefan, filmmaker Steven Spielberg and fellow baseball legend Willie Mays among them – reflected both the medal’s broad eligibility criteria and the breadth of human accomplishment.
Known as the “Say Hey Kid”, his nickname’s murky provenance might stem from his arrival in the major leagues when he didn’t know everyone’s name.
Ruckelshaus once summed up that approach when he said, “Everyone has to be in the boat rowing”.
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“We are just reminded when we see these individuals on the stage what an incredible tapestry this country is, and what a great blessing to be in a nation where individuals as diverse, from wildly different backgrounds, can help to shape our dreams”, he said.
