WASHINGTON Two iconic Michiganders - one a Motown legend, the other the longest-serving member of Congress ever - will receive the Presidential Medial of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, the White House announced today.
Stevie Wonder, a Saginaw native who lost his sight shortly after birth and went onto become one of the preeminent popular music artists of all time, and U.S. Rep. John Dingell, Dearborn Democrat, who will retire early next year after 59 years in Congress, are among a class of 19 Americans to receive the award at a White House ceremony on Nov. 24.
In its release the Obama administration noted Wonder, born Stevland Hardaway Judkins, has 'created a sound entirely his own, mixing rhythm and blues with genres ranging from rock and roll to reggae, and demonstrating his mastery of a range of instruments, styles, and themes.'
The winner of 25 Grammy Awards an a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, his hit 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours' was a theme of President Barack Obama's campaigns.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded 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.' More than 500 people have received the award since it was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1960.
Dingell, an 88-year-old Democrat who early this year announced his retirement at the end of this, his 29th full two-year term, did not immediately respond to the news of the award.
'Few Americans have left a more lasting imprint on the U.S. Congress and the laws of our nation than John Dingell,' said U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak. 'Our nation is profoundly better off because of his (Dingell's) great service.'
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow confirmed that her office was told Dingell would receive the Presidetial Medal of Freedom, calling it 'a fitting tribute to John Dingell's lifetime of public service.'
A member of the U.S. House since being first elected in 1955 to serve out the remainder of a term following the death of his father, Dingell's seat will be filled by his wife, Debbie Dingell, a Democrat who won election to replace him in Congress last week.
Dingell, who in his heyday was one of the most powerful men in Washington, is a former Democratic chairman of the House Energy and Committee who vastly expanded that panel's scope. A master of parliamentary procedure and with deep friendships on both sides of the polticial aisle, he has a history of accomplishments that includes helping to pass or write the Clear Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Affordable Care Act and much more.
At 6-foot-3, Dingell - known in Washington when he was at the height of his power as 'Big John' or the 'truck' - he has remained a staunch environmentalist and key ally of southeastern Michigan's dominant auto industry throughout a career that included presiding over the passage of legislation creating Medicare in 1965.
As the head of an oversight subcommittee he became infamous for calling reluctant bureaucrats and recalcitrant industrialists before his panel to answer tough questions and his letters demanding answers to questions in a tight timeframe became known throughout regulatory circles as 'Dingell-grams.'
Other Michiganders who have won the award include Dr. Ben Carson, Aretha Franklin, UAW head Walter Reuther, Rosa Parks, former President Gerald R. Ford and Henry Ford II.
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