National Medal Winners (By Theme)

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National Medal Winners (By Theme) National Medal Winners (By Theme)

Presidential Letters
American Freedom and Democracy
Arts
Humanities
Science
Technology

PRESIDENTIAL LETTERS

Carter, President Jimmy, Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1999
Statement on commitment to unchanging principles and human rights

Ford, President Gerald, Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1999
Statement on the accomplishments of the century and hopes for the future

Reagan, President Ronald, Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1993
A piece of the Berlin Wall and quote from his June 12, 1987 speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

AMERICAN FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY

Ambrose, Stephen, National Humanities Medal, 1998
Recognition of the American G.I.

Augustine, Norman R., National Medal of Technology, 1997
Tandem ideas of democracy and free enterprise

Coles, Robert, Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1998
Ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

Dillon, Douglas,Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1989
Recognition of Kennedy Administration achievements with a Kennedy $.50 piece (Uncirculated, 1964)

Franklin, John Hope, National Humanities Medal, 1993
The 14th Amendment

Kerr, Richard J., Presidential Citizens Medal, 1991
Piece of the Berlin Wall

Lang, Eugene M., Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1996
The essential role of education in fostering the growth of America

Marty, Martin E., National Humanities Medal, 1997
Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural address

Mitchell, Sen. George J., Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1999
The Bill of Rights

Nowak, Jan, Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1996
The Liberty Bell and the freedom it represents

Powell, Gen. Colin L., Presidential Medals of Freedom, 1991, 1993, Congressional Gold Medal, 1991, Presidential Citizens Medal
"Dog Tags" honoring the American GI

Richardson, the Hon. Elliott, Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1998
The importance of democracy

Schlesinger, Arthur, Jr., National Humanities Medal, 1998
The testing and triumph of democracy against its totalitarian foes, the leadership of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt as a symbol for the new power of women in the 20th century

Steinberger, Jack, National Medal of Science, 1988
Democracy

Watson, Doc, National Medal of Arts, 1997
The ideals that have preserved our nation

Wilbur, Richard, National Medal of Arts, 1994
The transforming social programs of the New Deal

ARTS

Brubeck, David, National Medal of Arts, 1994
Personal composition, "Mass: To Hope!" CD

Burns, Ken, National Humanities Medal, 1991
Suggested Louis Armstrong's trumpet. Included is a 1928 original pressing of "West End Blues" by Louis Armstrong, donated by Jack Bradley, Board Member, Louis Armstrong Archives

Cantor, Iris, National Medal of Arts, 1995
Reproductions of children's art work about Michelangelo and Rodin

Charles, Ray, National Medal of Arts, 1993
Mr. Charles' sunglasses, autographed case, autographed photos, book and cassette

Dehmelt, Hans, National Medal of Science, 1995
Hopes for a modern intellectual and artistic flowering on par with the Renaissance

Diamond, David, National Medal of Arts, 1995
Hopes for new strides in imagination and craftsmanship

Graves, Michael, National Medal of Arts, 1999
Poster of the Washington Monument restoration scaffolding designed by him

Guerrero, Eduardo, National Medal of Arts, 1996
Lyrics and CD recording of El Chicano

Gund, Agnes, National Medal of Arts, 1997
Hans Namuth's film of Jackson Pollock painting

Kiley, Dan, National Medal of Arts, 1997
Book: Dan Kiley: The Complete Works of America's Master Landscape Architect

The MacDowell Colony, National Medal of Arts, 1997
A description of the MacDowell Colony for artists

Prenshaw, Peggy, National Humanities Medal, 1994
William Faulkner's speech upon receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature

Roth, Philip, National Medal of Arts, 1998
William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying and Light in August, Saul Bellow's The Adventures of Augie March and Herzog

Sara Lee Corporation, National Medal of Arts, 1998
Sara Lee Millennium Gift Art Catalog and profiles of Frontrunner winners

Segal, George, National Medal of Arts, 1999
A celebration of diversity

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, National Medal of Arts, 1998
Steppenwolf adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath

Tallchief, Maria, National Medal of Arts, 1999
Mentoring of children and young adults

Taylor, Paul, National Medal of Arts, 1993
A copy of his autobiography Private Domain

Texaco, National Medal of Arts, 1991
Mementos of the sixty year history of Texaco's support for the Metropolitan Opera including recordings of the first and last broadcasts of the century from 1940 and 1999

Thiebaud, Wayne, National Medal of Arts, 1994
Hope for the future that arts play a more prominent role in our lives

Venturi, Robert and Denise Scott Brown, National Medal of Arts, 1992
Poster commemorating "the genius of the American-vernacular/roadside-commercial landscape"

Young Audiences, National Medal of Arts, 1994
A piece of children's artwork

HUMANITIES

Ambrose, Stephen, National Humanities Medal, 1998
Recognition of the American G.I.

Charren, Peggy, Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1995
Public library card

Diamond, Irene, National Medal of Arts, 1999
Banning handguns and other weapons

Dove, Rita, National Humanities Medal, 1996
The Norton Anthology of African American Literature

Friday, William, National Humanities Medal, 1997
America's commitment to the education of its citizenry

Gates Jr., Henry Louis, National Humanities Medal, 1998
"Encarta Africana 2000" CD and book, entitled Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, edited by himself and Kwame Anthony Appiah

Green, Ernest, Congressional Gold Medal, 1999
One of the "Little Rock Nine," a copy of his diploma from Little Rock Central High School

Haas, Karl, National Humanities Medal, 1991
CD "The Romantic Piano" and statement on development of recorded music and radio broadcasting of it

Hanes, R. Philip, National Medal of Arts, 1991
Millennium Edition of Who's Who in America

Henley, Don, National Humanities Medal, 1997
Suggestions from the fields of music, the environment, literature, and others

Lederberg, Joshua, National Medal of Science, 1989
Photographs of a variety of momentous images (liberation of Buchenwald, view of earth from space, and mushroom cloud over Hiroshima)

Liepmann, Hans W., National Medal of Technology, 1993, National Medal of Science, 1986
The transistor, discoveries in genetics, his immigrant impressions of America

Linowitz, Sol M., Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1998
Report on world hunger

Mankiller, Wilma, Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1998
The Cherokee alphabet

Marty, Martin E., National Humanities Medal, 1997
Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural address

McCullough, David, National Humanities Medal, 1995
A Boston Public Library card, the first public library to allow readers to take books home

Minnesota Historical Society, National Humanities Medal, 1997
A hope that American leadership, through its museums and cultural organizations, will strengthen a vision of global community and global responsibility

Parks, Rosa, Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1996, Congressional Gold Medal, 1999
Book entitled Quiet Strength featuring famous photo of Rosa Parks sitting on bus once buses were desegregated and Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue with Today's Youth

Prenshaw, Peggy, National Humanities Medal, 1994
William Faulkner's speech upon receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature

Ruiz, Ramon Eduardo, National Humanities Medal, 1998
Hopes for an end to racial bigotry and to involvement in the affairs of other nations

Whitesides, Dr. George, National Medal of Science, 1998
Suggests a birth control pill and the idea of gender equality

Wills, Garry, National Humanities Medal, 1998
Jane Addams' Hull House demographic maps

Wilson, August, National Humanities Medal, 1999
Bessie Smith's recording of "Nobody in Town Can Bake a Sweet Jellyroll Like Mine"

Wolfe, Ethyle, National Humanities Medal, 1990
Importance of recognizing the crucial relationship between the past and the future, and of the critical role of memory and hope in guiding the present

SCIENCE

Avery, Mary Ellen, National Medal of Science, 1991
Discovery of DNA

Bahcall, John N., National Medal of Science, 1998
Color photo of Eagle Nebulae taken from the Hubble Telescope

Benacerraf, Baruj, National Medal of Science, 1990
Discovery of DNA

Bloch, Konrad E., National Medal of Science, 1987
Millennium Council Motto "Honor the Past–Imagine the Future"

Bott, Raoul, National Medal of Science, 1987
Figures encoding design of the semi-simple Lie groups

Chu, Paul C.W., National Medal of Science, 1988
Discovery of high temperature superconductivity, sample of YBCO

Cohen, Stanley, National Medal of Science, 1988
Genetics

Davidson, Norman, National Medal of Science, 1996
Piece of Berlin Wall, discovery of DNA, and discovery of the nuclear bomb

Hilleman, Dr. Maurice, National Medal of Science, 1988
Six vials of vaccines and report describing their development

Leder, Dr. Philip, National Medal of Science, 1989
Letter nominating a copy of the genetic code

Marcus, Randolph A., National Medal of Science, 1989
The variety of scientific achievements, including the Marcus Inverted Region

Nathan, David, National Medal of Science, 1990
Discovery of structure of DNA

Patrick, Ruth, National Medal of Science, 1996
Vial of diatoms (unicellular plants that indicate water conditions)

Peck, Gregory, National Medal of Arts, 1998
Film of Neil Armstrong's moon landing

Roberts, John D., National Medal of Science, 1990
The development of instruments for chemical analysis specifically Arnold Beckman's contribution

Singer, Maxine, National Medal of Science, 1992
A DNA chip

Watson, Dr. James D., National Medal of Science, 1997
CD-ROM of the human genome

Yau, Shing-Tung, National Medal of Science, 1997
Description of the "Unification of Mathematics and Physics"

TECHNOLOGY

AT&T, National Medal of Arts, 1992
Cell phone as a representation of the ubiquity of phone service

Battin, Patricia , National Humanities Medal, 1999
Suggestion of various forms of book construction and deterioration (20th century acid-based paper, microfilm, eBook)

Cooley, Denton, National Medal of Technology, 1998, National Medal of Freedom, 1984
Developments in heart surgery including first artificial heart now at Smithsonian

Cuomo, Jerry (Jerome), National Medal of Technology, 1995
Progress in data storage technology, and a mini disk player

Dennard, Robert H., National Medal of Technology, 1988
The "DRAM Evolution," a card with 3 generations of DRAM

Drickamer, Harry, National Medal of Science, 1989
First point contact transistor, Pentium III Processor

Evans, Bob O., National Medal of Technology, 1985
Solid Logic Technology module

Gambino, Richard J., National Medal of Technology, 1995, National Medal of Science, 1999
Mini-Disk player and two speeches of President Clinton's

Hackerman, Norman, National Medal of Science, 1993
Model of first transistor developed at Bell Telephone Laboratories

Heilmeier, George, National Medal of Science, 1991
Electronic and information services advancements

Joel, Amos, National Medal of Technology, 1993
Innovations in technology, MEMS 16x16 (256) Mirror (Optical Switch Array)

Johnson, Marvin M., National Medal of Technology, 1985
Discovery of plastics

Joyce, William H., National Medal of Technology, 1993
Transoceanic telephone cable

Kozmetsky, Dr. George, National Medal of Technology, 1993
Sample micro-chip, a photo depicting the ethnic diversity of America, and stock certificates from largest 1899/1900 and 1999/2000 companies

Kwolek, Dr. Stephanie, National Medal of Technology, 1996
Sample of synthetic fiber and statement on development of man-made fibers

Ledley, Robert, National Medal of Technology, 1997
Parts of his original ACTA-Scanner machine (CAT Scan) and textbook he wrote to teach users how to read the scans.

Liepmann, Hans W., National Medal of Technology, 1993, National Medal of Science, 1986
The transistor, discoveries in genetics, his immigrant impressions of America

Mayo, John, National Medal of Technology, 1990
The digital integrated circuit and the transistor, six inch silicon wafer with SC2 Devices

Parsons, John T., National Medal of Technology, 1985
The development of numerical control

Stookey, Stanley Donald, National Medal of Technology, 1994
A piece of Corning Ware because it may last 1,000 years and is in most American homes.

Sutter, Joseph F., National Medal of Technology, 1985
Developments in aviation

Whinnery, John R., National Medal of Science, 1992
The digital computer and laser powered fiber optic communication

Woodland, N. Joseph, National Medal of Technology, 1992
Bar code technology

3M, National Medal of Technology, 1995
Post-it Notes and Scotch Tape

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