WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 16 people, including political ally Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, tennis legend Billie Jean King and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 16 people, including political ally Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, tennis legend Billie Jean King and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. Also on the list is El Paso-born former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Race for the Cure founder Nancy Brinker of Dallas. The White House announced the list of recipients Thursday. The medals are the first to be awarded by Obama and they represent the country’s highest honor for a civilian. Obama will present the awards at a ceremony on Aug. 12. Other names on the list are physicist Stephen Hawking and civil rights activist the Rev. Joseph Lowery. Former Rep. Jack Kemp, who died in May, will receive a posthumous award. ______ Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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