Aug 12, 2009 8:52 pm US/Eastern
Kennedy's Daughter Accepts His Medal Of Freedom
'Lion Of The Senate' Will Not Attend The D.C. Ceremony
WASHINGTON (WBZ) ―
Sen. Edward Kennedy was among
16 people scheduled to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama on Wednesday. The medal is the nation's highest civilian honor.
"This is a chance for me and the United States of America to say thank you to the finest citizens of our country," Obama said at the ceremony.
Senator Kennedy's battle with brain cancer, coupled with the
death of his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, kept him from attending the ceremony. Kennedy's daughter, Kara, accepted the award on his behalf. His two sons also attended the ceremony.
"There's a story Ted Kennedy sometimes tells. It's about a boy who sees an old man tossing starfish stranded by a receding tide back into the sea. 'There are so many,' asks the boy, 'what difference can your efforts possibly make?' The old man studies the starfish in his hand and tosses it to safety, saying: 'It makes a difference to that one,'" the President told the crowd.
Obama went on to say, Kennedy's impact is long lasting and hard to match.
"For nearly half a century, Ted Kennedy has been walking that beach, making a difference for that soldier fighting for freedom, that refugee looking for a way home, that senior searching for dignity, that worker striving for opportunity, that student aspiring to college, that family reaching for the American Dream. The life of Senator Edward M. Kennedy has made a difference for us all."
The Presidential Medal of Freedom has strong connections to the Kennedy family. Eunice Kennedy Shriver received the award from President Ronald Reagan in 1984, for her advocacy on behalf of the mentally and physically disabled. President John F. Kennedy not only reinstated the medal in 1963, but received it posthumously.
The award citation for Senator Kennedy calls him "one of the greatest lawmakers - and leaders - of our time. From reforming our public schools to strengthening civil rights laws and supporting working Americans, Senator Kennedy has dedicated his career to fighting for equal opportunity, fairness and justice for all Americans."
Others to be honored Wednesday include actor Sidney Poitier, civil rights icon the Rev. Joseph Lowery, gay rights activist Harvey Milk, tennis pro Billie Jean King, physicist Stephen Hawking, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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