Now, she’s receiving the nation’s highest civilian honor from our commander in chief. Mays, who wore a baseball cap to the ceremony, received perhaps the loudest ovation of the ceremony.
Advertisement
On Tuesday, President Obama honored 17 people with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, including a woman from Alaska, who’s life mission has been to care for our country’s veterans. “I’m getting all verklempt just thinking about it”, the president said, making a joke in Yiddish, and citing the Saturday Night Live skit “Coffee Talk”. Mays, a centerfielder for the NY and San Francisco Giants, was among the first African-American players in Major League Baseball.
Barbara Mikulski is a lifelong public servant, who has held elected office since 1971. “They want to make a pitch, ‘So there is this really good looking president…”
– Emilio Estefan and Gloria Estefan – This husband and wife team were each medal winners for breaking cultural boundaries to “elevate the accomplishments of Latin Americans”, Obama said.
– William Ruckelshaus – The first head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Ruckelhaus “continues to place principle over politics, continuing his lifetime of advocacy on behalf of our nation and our planet”, Obama said.
The director, who has won three Oscars and whose films have grossed more than $9 billion in ticket sales, is renowned for his ability to navigate between various genres, from blockbusters like “Jurassic Park” to historic dramas like “Schindler’s List”. But as an entertainer Streisand, who is firmly in Hillary Clinton’s camp, said she knew a Clinton versus Trump showdown would be a huge draw.
Medal recipients also included social activists like the late Billy Frank Jr., an advocate for tribal fishing rights. The president noted that Berra also served in World War II.
Advertisement
Johnson, the NASA mathematician, broke barriers of gender and race as she ascended to a position tracing the paths for early space flights, Obama said.
