In 1963, President John F. Kennedy ’40, LL.D. ’56, signed the executive order establishing the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, which is presented to individuals “who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
Yesterday, the White House announced the names of this year’s recipients, including that of Ben Bradlee ’43, a good friend of the late president and the author of Conversations with Kennedy. The White House statement described Bradlee as:
one of the most respected newsmen of his generation. During his tenure as executive editor of The Washington Post, Mr. Bradlee oversaw coverage of the Watergate scandal, successfully challenged the Federal Government over the right to publish the Pentagon Papers, and guided the newspaper through some of its most challenging moments. He also served in the Navy during World War II.
Three Harvard honorary-degree recipients—Daniel Kahneman, LL.D. ’04, considered a founder of behavioral economics; atmospheric scientist Mario J. Molina, S.D. ’12; and media entrepreneur and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey, LL.D. ’13—were also among the new Medal of Freedom recipients. Their White House biographies follow.
- Daniel Kahneman is a pioneering scholar of psychology. After escaping Nazi occupation in World War II, Dr. Kahneman immigrated to Israel, where he served in the Israel Defense Forces and trained as a psychologist. Alongside Amos Tversky, he applied cognitive psychology to economic analysis, laying the foundation for a new field of research and earning the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002. He is currently a professor at Princeton University.
- Mario Molina is a visionary chemist and environmental scientist. Born in Mexico, Dr. Molina came to America to pursue his graduate degree. He later earned the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering how chlorofluorocarbons deplete the ozone layer. Dr. Molina is a professor at the University of California, San Diego; Director of the Mario Molina Center for Energy and Environment; and a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
- Oprah Winfrey is one of the world’s most successful broadcast journalists. She is best known for creating The Oprah Winfrey Show, which became the highest rated talk show in America for 25 years. Ms. Winfrey has long been active in philanthropic causes and expanding opportunities for young women. She has received numerous awards throughout her career, including the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in 2002 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2010.
The awards will be presented at the White House later this year.
