Bush to Confer Highest Civilian Medal to 10

Discussion Policy

Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

Associated Press
Friday, December 8, 2006

President Bush announced yesterday the recipients of this year's Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.

Those to be honored at a White House ceremony on Dec. 15 are:

· Ruth Johnson Colvin. The literacy advocate has traveled the globe to help people learn reading and language skills.

· Norman C. Francis. The president of Xavier University of Louisiana for nearly 40 years, he has also played a lead role in helping the people of the Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Katrina.

· Paul Johnson. The historian and journalist is being honored for writings that have "captivated and educated people around the world."

· B.B. King. The singer and guitarist is considered the King of Blues and an American legend.

· Joshua Lederberg. The Nobel Prize winner for his work in bacterial genetics had also helped develop advanced computer technology, worked with NASA in the search for life on Mars, and been a scientific adviser to national policymakers.

CONTINUED 1 >