NATION : Carter to Receive Liberty Medal
Former President Jimmy Carter was named today the 1990 recipient of the Philadelphia Liberty Medal, which carries with it a $100,000 prize.
Carter, the second medal recipient, was cited “for his active involvement during the past few years in issues of liberty around the globe and his exemplary use of the post-presidential period,” said Martin Meyerson, chairman of the 12-member selection committee and former president of the University of Pennsylvania.
Carter, who was defeated by Ronald Reagan in 1980, will receive the medal in a ceremony in front of Independence Hall July 4. President and Mrs. Bush have been invited to attend.
Since leaving office Carter has devoted his efforts to mediating in international disputes, acting as neutral observer in Latin American elections, and working as a carpenter for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit group that has helped build housing for the poor throughout the world.
The first recipient of the Liberty Medal was Solidarity founder Lech Walesa, who received the medal in 1989.
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