Stan Musial has always been a St. Louis treasure, and well-respected among knowledgeable followers of baseball. Early this afternoon, the entire nation was introduced to the person who personified excellence on the diamond and stellar citizenship away from the stadium.
Musial, 90, was among 15 recipients of the Medal of Freedom in a White House ceremony. Musial received the medal, the highest award that can be bestowed on a private citizen, from President Barack Obama, who called Musial "an icon, untarnished, a beloved pillar of the community, a gentleman you would want your kids to emulate."
Musial's stellar baseball career was cited -- three Most Valuable Player awards, 24 All-Star Game appearances, three World Series, first-ballot Hall of Famer. But more importantly noted was his civic contributions -- serving his country in the Navy, supporting Jackie Robinson when he broke the color line in baseball, his philanthropy and civic contributions.
Musial was in good company. Or perhaps, the other recipients were in good company. They included former President George H.W. Bush, billionaire investor Warren Buffett, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former AFL-CIO head John Sweeney.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/multimedia/birds-nest/article_a9d98d80-3958-11e0-b051-0017a4a78c22.htmlI heard he was only one of eight baseball players to receive this honor.
