Alan Page To Receive Presidential Medal Of Freedom
WASHINGTON (AP/WCCO) — President Donald Trump has announced his first recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and they include a former Minnesota Viking who served on the state's Supreme Court for 22 years, the wife of a major Republican Party donor, the longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history, Elvis Presley and Babe Ruth.
Alan Page is among the American luminaries to receive the medal, the nation's highest honor for a civilian.
Trump will also posthumously recognize the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Medals are going to Miriam Adelson, a doctor and wife of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a Republican donor; Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who is retiring after more than 41 years in the U.S. Senate; and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach.
The honor for Page, who lives in Minneapolis, comes just weeks after the loss of his wife, Diane. The couple founded the Page Education Foundation 30 years ago.
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Page played for the Vikings from 1967 until 1978, and was a member of the legendary "Purple People Eaters" line-up. He was the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1972, the first defensive player to earn the honor.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)