Bob Dylan receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Written by admin on May 30, 2012 – 7:29 pm -Bob Dylan was one of 13 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a ceremony at the White House yesterday afternoon.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor and is awarded each year to individuals who have, according to the White House, “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”.
President Obama said of the 13 recipients:
| “Together, the honorees on this stage, and the ones who couldn’t be here, have moved us with their words; they have inspired us with their actions. They’ve enriched our lives and they’ve changed our lives for the better. Some of them are household names; others have labored quietly out of the public eye. Most of them may never fully appreciate the difference they’ve made or the influence that they’ve had, but that’s where our job comes in. It’s our job to help let them know how extraordinary their impact has been on our lives. And so today we present this amazing group with one more accolade for a life well led, and that’s the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” |
The President introduced each of the recipients with an individual tribute. He said of Dylan:
| “By the time he was 23, Bob’s voice, with its weight, its unique, gravelly power was redefining not just what music sounded like, but the message it carried and how it made people feel. Today, everybody from Bruce Springsteen to U2 owes Bob a debt of gratitude. There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music. All these years later, he’s still chasing that sound; still searching for a little bit of truth. And I have to say, I am a really big fan.” |
Dylan receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom
The other recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom were Madeleine Albright, John Doar, William Foege, John Glenn, Gordon Hirabayashi, Dolores Huerta, Jan Karski, Juliette Gordon Low, Shimon Peres, John Paul Stevens, and Pat Summitt.
Presidential Medal of Freedom – Complete ceremony
Tags: Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan Presidential Medal of Freedom
Posted in Awards |
