Liberty Awards Get an Infusion of Youth

If not a youth movement, it was at least a movement toward youth Monday night when the People for the American Way gave its Spirit of Liberty Awards to Kathleen Turner and Don Henley at the Regent Beverly Wilshire.

In the past, honorees have been older figures--Walter Cronkite, Bill Moyers and Barbara Jordan among them. By presenting the award to members of a younger generation, founder Norman Lear hoped to “face the challenge of having more young people involved. To make them more aware of what’s at stake, what they must do as citizens.”

While Turner said she felt honored to receive the award for her efforts supporting the embattled National Endowment for the Arts, the 36-year-old actress also said receiving it “makes me feel a little old. Someone came up to me not long ago and said they’d like to do a retrospective of my films.”

Former Eagles singer Henley was cited for his leadership in efforts to resist music censorship and as a founder of the movement to save Thoreau’s Walden Woods.

Carrie Fisher delivered a roast-like tribute to Henley and Turner, and presented Henley as the man who introduced Gary Hart to Donna Rice at a party at Henley’s house in Aspen.

“With friends like Carrie, who needs Republicans?” said Henley as he began his acceptance speech. And, no, he didn’t introduce Hart and Rice, he said.

Turner’s award was presented by TV journalist Kathleen Sullivan and Henley’s by Texas humorist and agriculture commissioner, Jim Hightower.

Michael McDonald and his six-piece band ended the evening with a high-intensity hourlong set. Henley joined in performing for the 500-strong audience that included Griffin Dunne, Frank Marshall with Kathleen Kennedy, Robert Loggia and Irving and Shelli Azoff.

The event raised $200,000 for the defense of civil liberties, in which Lear said “there’s no such thing as winning. If you can keep your head above water, you’re ahead.”