She joined the 16 others who were honored, from Steven Spielberg to Barbra Steisand to Willie Mays.
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Obama presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to filmmaker Steven Spielberg, musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan, singer James Taylor, composer Stephen Sondheim, violinist Itzhak Perlman and actress Barbra Streisand, who won an Academy award for her performance in the classic film, “Funny Girl”.
A reception was held for the recipients following the awards ceremony.
Mays was among 17 individuals on Tuesday who were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in a ceremony in the East Room.
“What an incredible tapestry this nation is”, he said. The hall-of-famer spent his entire 19 years as a player with the NY Yankees and then seven years as a manager of the Yankees and the NY Mets. Mays ended his career with 660 home runs, making him the fifth all-time record-holder.
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. Mays served in the U.S. Army. She inserted language into the Affordable Care Act that ensured certain preventive care for women would be covered for free. Both also played for the Mets.
Berra was awarded the medal posthumously, after his death in September.
-William Ruckelshaus, a former chief of the Environmental Protection Agency, who formed the guiding rules of the company, together with a nationwide ban on the pesticide DDT and an settlement with the auto business to require catalytic converters to scale back vehicle air pollution. He reminds us how noble public service can be. In the latter job, he resigned rather than carry out President Richard Nixon’s 1973 order to fire the special prosecutor in the Watergate scandal.
“In his quiet example while excelling on one of America’s biggest stages, (he) helped carry forward the banner of civil rights”, Obama said.
Obama referenced Taylor’s lyrics in citing his honor, telling the audience that “you always feel like he is singing only to you”.
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Born in Hood River, Mr. Yasui earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Oregon.
