National Medalists for Humanities (U.S. winners): July 28 presentation for prior year - White House ceremony

from NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) dot-gov: WASHINGTON (July 28, 2014) — President Barack Obama presented the 2013 National Humanities Medals to nine individuals and one organization today for outstanding achievements in history, cultural studies, filmmaking, cultural commentary, and historic preservation. The medalists are: literary critic M.H. Abrams; historians David Brion Davis, Darlene Clark Hine, and Anne Firor Scott; East Asian scholar William Theodore de Bary; architect Johnpaul Jones; filmmaker Stanley Nelson; radio hosts Diane Rehm and Krista Tippett; and the historical organization the American Antiquarian Society. The National Humanities Medals were presented in conjunction with the National Medals of Arts at a White House ceremony. The National Humanities Medal honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities. The 2013 National Medals of Arts were presented at the same ceremony at the East Room. Among the recipients are musician Linda Ronstadt and writer Maxine Hong Kingston. After the ceremony, the medalists and their families and friends joined the President and First Lady Michelle Obama for a reception in their honor. This year, for the first time, the President bestowed a newly-designed National Humanities Medal on the ten recipients. The new National Humanities Medal, a polished bronze medallion depicting Lady Liberty, was designed by artist Paul Balan and selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities in a national medal design competition. http://www.neh.gov/news/press-release/2014-07-22