Piermont Resident Toni Morrison, Bob Dylan, 11 Others Receive Medals Of Freedom

BY GEORGE J. DACRE

President Obama awarded 13 Americans the Medal of Freedom this week including Piermont resident Toni Morrison and rock legend Bob Dylan. The awards ceremony broadcast on TV live Tuesday afternoon from the nation’s capital cited accomplishments by the recipients.

In addition to Morrison, a prominent author of books including “Song Of Solomon,” and Dylan, described as the voice of his generation, others honored included former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, John Doar, civil rights activist ,William Foege, who led the effort to eradicate smallpox, Astronaut John Glenn, first American to orbit the Earth, Gordon Hirabayashi, who stood up against American-Japanese prejudice in World War II, Dolores Huerta, who cofounded with Caesar Chavez the National Farmworkers Association, Jan Karski, who served in the Polish underground and helped reveal the death camps, Juliet Low Gordon, who founded the Girl Scouts, John Paul Stevens, who had the third longest tenure ever on the U.S. Supreme Court, and Pat Summit, coach of the University Of Tennessee’s womens basketball team that won eight NCAA titles.

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