CHICAGO, Nov. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation (ALPLF) will award its
prestigious Lincoln Leadership Prize to Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ph.D.,
astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History and the
first occupant of the Frederick P. Rose Directorship at the Hayden
Planetarium. Tyson – the first scientist to receive the coveted
prize – works tirelessly to advance America's science legacy, which
Lincoln helped to further when he established the National Academy
of Sciences (NAS) in 1863.
The Lincoln Leadership Prize – to be awarded March 9, 2017, at the Hilton Chicago (720 S.
Michigan Ave.) – is an annual award that recognizes outstanding
individuals for a lifetime of service in the spirit of the
16th President of the United
States, Abraham Lincoln. The
award honors individuals who manifest great strength of character,
individual conscience and unwavering commitment to the defining
principles of democracy.
While science, engineering and innovation are not immediately
associated with Abraham Lincoln, he
understood the important role those would play in America's
development. Through his work on the Morrill Act of 1862, which
established land grant universities dedicated to engineering and
science in each state, and his establishment of the NAS in 1863,
Abraham Lincoln ensured we would
educate future generations placing our nation on a path to
scientific enlightenment. To this day, he remains the only
president to hold a patent.
"Through his vast body of work, Neil deGrasse Tyson has paid
tribute and continues to pay tribute to Abraham Lincoln who was a pioneer in the
prioritization of science in order to move the nation forward,"
said Dr. Carla Knorowski, Chief
Executive Officer, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.
"Tyson has become one of science's greatest advocates. He is a
masterful communicator, who is able to explain complex scientific
theories and make them understandable to the average person. He is
a brilliant astrophysicist who also happens to be a pop culture
icon, who is able to inspire and engage generations of fellow
scientists, students of science and armchair enthusiasts around the
globe."
Tyson has served as Executive Science Editor, Host and Narrator
for Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey, which won four Emmy
Awards, a Peabody Award and two Critics Choice Awards. Tyson also
served on two presidential commissions under George W. Bush – one studied the future of the
U.S. aerospace industry and the other studied the future of NASA.
In 2000, Asteroid 1994 KA was named 13123 Tyson in his honor.
The recipient of the prestigious NASA Distinguished Public
Service Medal and the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare
Medal, Tyson earned his Ph.D. in astrophysics (1991) from
Columbia University, and a bachelor's
degree in physics (1980) from Harvard
University. He also is a graduate of the
prestigious The Bronx High School of Science. He is the
recipient of 19 honorary degrees, and in 2000 he was voted "Sexiest
Astrophysicist Alive" by People Magazine.
"I think of myself not as a leader but as a scientist and as an
educator. The fact that people follow what I do, or count me
among the leaders in the land, is evidence of a growing curiosity
permeating society for how and why science matters in our lives,"
said Tyson. "To be recognized for this effort, not only by the
public but by the Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, has
affirmed that I must be doing something right."
This year the Foundation also will honor Newt and Jo Minow with
the inaugural Lincoln: With Charity for All Award, for their
ongoing support of the community and the Foundation since its
inception in 2000 and of the Library since it opened in 2006. Newt
Minow was recognized by President Obama Nov.
22, 2016, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is an
advocate for residents of public housing, advised Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson, was a law clerk to U.S. Supreme
Court Chief Justice Fred Vinson and
served as the chair of the Federal Communications Commission under
President Kennedy. Jo Minow tirelessly advocates for the study and
preservation of history serving as a Life Director of the
Foundation and as a member of the board of directors of the Chicago
History Museum.
Since 2006, the ALPLF has awarded the Lincoln Leadership Prize
to nine prestigious individuals who serve in the Lincoln tradition.
Previous honorees include Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Civil
Rights Activists The Little Rock Nine, Filmmaker Steven Spielberg,
42nd President of the United States Bill Clinton, former Polish President
Lech Walesa, Journalist Tim Russert,
Astronaut James Lovell, Jr., Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Supreme
Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Tyson will become the tenth recipient when he accepts the award
Thursday, March 9, 2017.
The annual event serves as the primary fundraiser for the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation for the benefit of
the Museum and Library, which is not a part of the National
Archives Records Administration's federal system of presidential
libraries. For more information about the Lincoln Leadership Prize
please visit www.alplm.org. For tickets and/or table sponsorship
information please call 312/553-2000.
About the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Foundation
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation supports the
collections and the educational and cultural programming of the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum; fosters Lincoln
scholarship through the acquisition and publication of documentary
materials relating to Lincoln and his era; and promotes a greater
appreciation of history through exhibits, conferences,
publications, online services, and other activities designed to
promote historical literacy.
Media Contact:
Lisa
Soard
lisa@reputationpartners.com
312.548.7428
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SOURCE Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation
(ALPLF)