August 18, 2009

Medal of Freedom to Edward M. Kennedy, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, others

President Obama confers the Medal of Freedom on Senator Kennedy, Archbishop Tutu, and others.

President Barack Obama J.D.’91 conferred the Medal of Freedom on 16 people at a White House ceremony on August 12, among them:

U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy ’54, LL.D.’08 (who was represented by his children, as he continued to fight brain cancer and mourned the death of his sister Eunice Shriver; his Harvard honorary degree was conferred in a special ceremony last fall);
former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who was awarded the Radcliffe Institute Medal last June;
former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, LL.M. ’68, LL.D. ’98, the 1998 Commencement speaker;
University of Chicago geneticist and cancer specialist Janet Davison Rowley, S.D.’08, recognized at Commencement in 2008; and
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, LL.D. ’79 the anti-apartheid leader who served as a Harvard Overseer.

You might also like

University Hall with steps and the John Harvard statue, surrounded by trees and a grassy lawn.

Long-discussed reorganization includes layoffs and the end of the Dudley Community.

Modern building with large glass windows, surrounded by greenery and pedestrians.

A roundup of University news from the summer of 2026

Ornate wrought iron gate detail against a clear blue sky.

FAS leaders say restructuring will be complete by mid-October.

Most popular

A woman with long hair stands confidently with crossed arms next to a pickup truck.

All That’s Unseen charts the Harvard graduate’s uneasy journey from Appalachia to Cambridge and back.

Caricature of a young man in front of red doors, wearing a green striped sweater.

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

Red brick building with large windows and greenery, set against a bright blue sky.

After a final round of layoffs, University leaders say 165 staff jobs were eliminated across the division.

Explore More From Current Issue

A busy classroom filled with students working at computers, colorful decor, and a bright atmosphere.

Technology

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.

A woman with long, wavy hair wearing a white suit, seated in a bright, modern room.

Politics and Law

The Harvard graduate’s roundtable talk show touches on hot button issues from religion to sex.

Three actors perform on stage, with one actor interacting closely with another, set against abstract backgrounds.

Arts & Culture

The play Spare Parts is a contemporary fable about the quest to live forever.