[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12082-12083]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING A.M. ROSENTHAL IN RECEIVING THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF 
                                FREEDOM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 27, 2002

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, last week, President Bush announced the 
recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest 
civilian honor. A.M. Rosenthal, a Pulitzer Prize winner, former 
executive editor of the New York Times, and human rights advocate was 
named as one of the prominent Americans to receive the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom.
  Mr. Rosenthal led the fight against tyranny, against communism and he 
provided a valuable voice in raising America's attention to the problem 
people from a variety of faiths being horribly persecuted simply for 
their religious beliefs.
  Mr. Rosenthal should serve as an inspiration to the future American 
generations that one can change the world by passionately seeking truth 
and justice.
  Congratulations Mr. Rosenthal on winning this prestigious and 
honorable award.
  I want to enclose for the record this article from the Washington 
Times that describes in more detail the contributions of Mr. Rosenthal 
and the other recipients of this elite honor.

           {From the Washington Times, Friday, June 21, 2002]

 12 Receive Presidential Medals--Mandela, Nancy Reagan, Rosenthal, Mr. 
                             Rogers Honored

                            (By Joseph Curl)

       President Bush yesterday announced the recipients of the 
     Presidential Medal of Freedom, a list that includes two 
     writers, three entertainers, an athlete and a former first 
     lady.
       Among the dozen to receive the nation's highest civilian 
     honor is A.M. Rosenthal, a Pulitzer Prize winner for foreign 
     correspondence who became the executive director of the New 
     York Times. He writes a weekly column now for the The 
     Washington Times.
       ``Believe me, it never occurred to me that I would be given 
     a medal by the president--or anyone else,'' Mr. Rosenthal 
     said in a telephone interview last night. The White House

[[Page 12083]]

     praised Mr. Rosenthal's efforts ``to highlight the suffering 
     of oppressed people, especially religious minorities.''
       Mr. Rosenthal began in newspapers in the 1940s traveled the 
     world as a foreign correspondent. In 1960, won the Pulitzer 
     Prize for his reporting from Poland. He served a stint in 
     India before returning to New York to become the top editor 
     at the New York Times. The other recipients, all of whom will 
     receive their medals in a White House ceremony in July, are:
       Nancy Reagan, wife of former President Ronald Reagan, for 
     her long anti-drug work as first lady and her continued work 
     against drug and alcohol abuse through the Nancy Reagan 
     Foundation.
       Nelson Mandela, who led the fight to end apartheid in South 
     Africa over the course of his 73-year public life. Mr. 
     Mandela was imprisoned by the South African government in 
     1962 and was released on Feb. 11, 1990. Mr. Mandela was 
     awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and inaugurated as the 
     first democratically elected president of South Africa on May 
     10, 1994.
       Katharine Graham, who led The Washington Post until 1993 
     and, the White House said, ``was known as an editor who 
     maintained excellence by supporting her reporters and 
     encouraging those who worked for her.'' She was chairman of 
     the Post, but actually never held an editing position.
       Hank Aaron, who holds the career records for home runs, at 
     755. Mr. Aaron, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of 
     Fame in 1982, played first on a team in the old Negro League 
     and, the White House said, ``was unfettered in his pursuit of 
     excellence by frequent encounters with racism throughout his 
     career.''
       Bill Cosby, a one-time stand-up comedian and one of the 
     most popular television performers of the 1980s with ``The 
     Cosby Show,'' which revolutionized the portrayal of blacks on 
     television. ``Throughout his career,'' the White House said, 
     ``Dr. Cosby has appealed to the common humanity of his 
     audience, rather than the differences that might divide it.''
       Placido Domingo, a renowned opera singer, conductor and 
     arts administrator over his 44-year career. ``He was blessed 
     with an unusually flexible voice, which has allowed him to 
     perform in 188 different roles, more than any other tenor in 
     the annuals of opera performance,'' the White House said.
       Fred Rogers, host of ``Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' for 
     over three decades, making the show the longest-running 
     program in the history of public broadcasting. ``All of his 
     work has been emblematic of the same philosophy and goal: to 
     encourage the healthy emotional growth of children and their 
     families,'' the White House said.
       Peter Drucker, a prominent pioneer of management theory. 
     ``Dr. Drucker has championed concepts such as privatization, 
     management by objective and decentralization'' and is 
     ``currently applying his expertise to the management of 
     faith-based organizations,'' the White House said.
       Dr. D.A. Henderson, best known for his leadership of the 
     World Health Organization's global small-pox-eradication 
     campaign from 1966 to 1977. ``He was also instrumental in 
     initiating the WHO's global program of immunization which now 
     vaccinates approximately 80 percent of the world's children 
     against six major diseases,'' the White House said.
       Irving Kristol, author, editor and professor. ``Mr. 
     Kristol's writings helped lay the intellectual groundwork for 
     the renaissance of conservative ideas in the last half of the 
     20th century. His approach adapted traditional conservative 
     thought with contemporary societal issues and became the 
     framework for compassionate conservatism,'' the White House 
     said.
       Gordon Moore, co-founder of the Intel Corporation who 
     directed the company's growth as the most successful 
     development of the microchip. In November 2000, Mr. Moore and 
     his wife established the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation 
     with a multibillion-dollar contribution, funding projects in 
     higher education, scientific research, the environment and 
     San Francisco Bay Area projects.
       The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established by 
     President Truman in 1945 to recognize civilians for their 
     service during World War II, and it was reinstated by 
     President Kennedy in 1963 to honor distinguished service. It 
     is the nation's highest civilian award.

     

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