Politics
Oprah Winfrey awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom on eve of anniversary of Kennedy assassination
Kennedy established the modern version of the medal, but is said to have been assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas on November 22, 1963, two weeks before he planned to honor the inaugural group of recipients. Hundreds of noteworthy figures have since received the medal.
As a teenager, Bill Clinton shook hands with Kennedy the summer before the assassination when he and other high school students in the Boys Nation program went to Washington.
Friday marks 50 years to the day since Kennedy was slain while riding in an open car in a motorcade during a visit to Dallas. Obama plans to meet privately at the White House on Friday with leaders and volunteers from the Peace Corps program, also established by Kennedy.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press
