Yogi Berra, Willie Mays Among Presidential Medal Of Freedom Honorees
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) — Baseball legends Willie Mays and the late Yogi Berra will be honored with the nation's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
They are among 17 people who will be recognized by President Barack Obama at a Nov. 24 ceremony.
Berra played with the Yankees from 1946-63 and with the Mets in 1965. He also managed both organizations. Berra was an 18-time All-Star and 13-time World Series champion.
The @WhiteHouse announced Grampa will posthumously recieve Medal of Freedom. Bittersweet, but could not be more proud! #Yankees #YogiBerra
— Lindsay Berra 〽️ (@lindsayberra) November 16, 2015
Mays played for the Giants -- first in New York and then in San Francisco -- from 1951-72 and finished his career with the Mets. He was a 24-time All-Star and a two-time National League MVP. Arguably the greatest player of all-time, Mays hit 660 home runs during his illustrious career.
Thank you to the @POTUS and @WhiteHouse for selecting Yogi as a recipient for this year's Medal of Freedom! pic.twitter.com/uwJsNKQfgY
— Yogi Berra Museum (@YogiBerraMuseum) November 16, 2015
Honorees from the entertainment world include Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg, Stephen Sondheim, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, James Taylor and Itzhak Perlman.
Politicians include Sen. Barbara Milkulski, former Rep. Lee Hamilton and the late Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress.
Other honorees include veterans advocate Bonnie Carroll; NASA mathematician Katherine G. Johnson; and former EPA chief and deputy attorney general William Ruckelshaus, known for refusing to fire the Watergate special prosecutor. Posthumous recipients include Indian tribal advocate Billy Frank Jr. and civil rights advocate Minoru Yasui.
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