Buck O'Neil receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

[Balta1701]

Buck O'Neil, the recently deceased former Negro Leagues player, historian, and advocate was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom today. Link.

 

Buck O'Neil was posthumously awarded the nation's highest civilian honor Friday, cited for a life in baseball after being barred from the national pastime in his prime.

 

The Negro Leagues player, historian and advocate was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a White House ceremony, less than three months after he died at age 94.

 

O'Neil missed election to the Hall of Fame by one vote in February, yet he never lost his enthusiasm for the sport. In July, he appeared in the Northern League all-star game, making him the oldest man to play professional baseball.

 

"They wisely pitched around him and he drew a walk," President Bush joked.

 

In a 40-minute ceremony under the glittering chandeliers of the East Room, Bush lauded O'Neil for helping break down the barriers of racial prejudice.

 

Jackie Robinson broke the major league color barrier in 1947, but by then it was too late for O'Neil.

 

"Buck O'Neil lived long enough to see baseball and America change for the better," Bush said. "He's one of the people we can thank for that. Buck O'Neil was a legend and a beautiful human being and we honor the memory of Buck O'Neil."

 

Warren O'Neil accepted the medal on his brother's behalf. The 91-year-old O'Neil nodded his head and smiled slightly as the audience applauded, then raised his hand to briefly wave at blues great B.B. King, one of the other award recipients.