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2016 PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM CEREMONYFrom the White House announcement: The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. One of my favorite public events is the annual Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony. Taking place at the White House, it's the
most eclectic gathering of luminaries one could think of - standouts from every field and walk of life. The only common denominator is that the
sitting President decided to recognize them for their achievements. Every list of attendees reads like the setup for a standup comedian's joke:
"So, Maya Lin, Vin Scully, Diana Ross and Bill Gates walk into a bar..." Check out the video - you can tell Obama was having fun.
-Editor
President Obama has not stinted on handing out the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his time in office: He has bestowed it on at least 114 individuals, more than any of his predecessors. Nearly half of the latest honorees were artists, actors or musicians, including singer Bruce Springsteen, actor Robert Redford and “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels. But there were also computer engineers and famous architects, as well as what the president called “rabble rousers” and philanthropists. Throughout his tenure, Obama has used the honor to recognize pioneers in many fields, particularly when they have broken racial or gender barriers. Rear Adm. Grace Hopper, who invented the first compiler for a computer programming language and was known as “the first lady of software,” was granted the award posthumously. Also recognized was Margaret H. Hamilton, who led the team that created the onboard flight software for NASA’s Apollo command and lunar modules. Obama poked fun at some of the more famous medal recipients, noting that they included “renowned character actors like the guy from ‘Space Jam,’ ” a reference to a 1996 live-action and animated comedy featuring basketball great Michael Jordan. Obama has come to use these ceremonies both to make a political point and to trot out comedic riffs in front of a friendly audience. There were also unintentional funny moments, notably when the president reached up to put the medal around basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s neck, and when singer Diana Ross had to adjust her enormous hair to receive it.  To read the complete article, see: For more background on the awardees, see the White House announcment from November 16, 2016. -Editor
To read the complete article, see: To watch the entire ceremony video fron CNN, see:  Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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