Presidential Medal of Freedom Archives - Page 4 of 4

Sally Ride

Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. She made her journey into history on June 18, 1983. Throughout her life, Dr. Ride broke barriers and worked to ensure that girls and women were encouraged to do the same.

Elouise P Cobell

An entrepreneur, advocate, and member of the Blackfoot Nation, Elouise Pepion Cobell (“Yellow Bird Woman”), fought tirelessly for government accountability and for Native Americans to have control over their own financial future. During her life, she won countless awards, founded the first Native American owned bank, and successfully won a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Government.

Patsy Takemoto Mink

In 1959 when Hawaii became a U.S. State, Patsy Mink knew she wanted to run for a position in government. Little did she know, she would become the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress. In addition to writing bills like Title IX, the Early Childhood Education Act, and the Women’s Educational Equity Act, Mink was the first Asian-American to run for U.S. President.

Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller is honored and recognized as the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She is also the first woman elected as chief of a major Native tribe. She spent her remarkable life fighting for the rights of American Indians.

Rachel Carson

A marine biologist and nature writer, Rachel Carson catalyzed the global environmental movement with her 1962 book Silent Spring. Outlining the dangers of chemical pesticides, the book led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides and sparked the movement that ultimately led to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Lucia Chase

Lucia Chase was an American dancer, actress, ballet director and co-founder of the American Ballet Theatre in New York City. Although her first love was theatre, she decided to commit to dance and studied with great dancers and choreographers of the time. She performed with the Mordkin Ballet (1937-1939), dancing the title roles in The Sleeping Beauty and Giselle. In 1940 she and Richard Pleasant founded Ballet Theatre (later American Ballet Theatre), with Chase as principal dancer and main financial backer, although she focused on the more dramatic and comedic roles.
She created the roles of Eldest Sister in Tudor’s Pillar of Fire (1942) and the Greedy One in Agnes de Mille’s Three Virgins and a Devil (1941). In 1945, she and Oliver Smith jointly took over direction of ABT.
Over the course of four decades, Chase poured her energy and significant funds into the company. She brought Antony Tudor and Mikhail Baryshnikov to ABT and supported US choreographers such as Jerome Robbins, Glen Tetley and Twyla Tharp.
She retired from the stage in 1960, and retired as company director in 1980, the same year hhe was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2009, the biography, Bravura!: Lucia Chase and the American Ballet Theatre, written by her son Alex C. Ewing, was released.