Presidential Medal of Freedom Announcement of Award to Margaret Mead.

The President today announced that he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Margaret Mead.

The President has asked U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young to present the award to Margaret Mead's daughter, Dr. Catherine Bateson. The presentation will take place on Saturday, January 20, at a special program honoring the contributions of Margaret Mead, sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

The citation accompanying the medal follows:

"Margaret Mead was both a student of civilization and an exemplar of it. To a public of millions, she brought the central insight of cultural anthropology: that varying cultural patterns express an underlying human unity. She mastered her discipline, but she also transcended it. Intrepid, independent, plain-spoken, fearless, she remains a model for the young and a teacher from whom all may learn."

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Government's highest civil award. It may be awarded only by the President to 'persons who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interest of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.