Ellis Island Medal of Honor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ellis Island Medal of Honor |
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Presented by | Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS) |
Location | Ellis Island |
Country | United States |
First awarded | 1986 |
The Ellis Island Medal of Honor is a very important American award. It was created by the Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS). This medal is given out every year to American citizens. Both people born in the U.S. and those who became citizens later can receive it.
This award celebrates people who have done amazing things. They share their knowledge, bravery, kindness, and special talents with others. They also remember their family's heritage while supporting American values. Many famous people have received this medal. These include U.S. presidents, world leaders, and winners of the Nobel Prize. Leaders in business, education, arts, sports, and government have also been honored. Even everyday Americans who make a big difference can get this award.
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How the Medal Is Awarded
The Ellis Island Honors Society
The Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS) started in 1984. The first medals were given out in 1986. Each year, a special ceremony takes place in May. It is held on Ellis Island in New York. This island was once the main entry point for immigrants coming to America.
The Ceremony
During the ceremony, all parts of the United States Armed Forces usually take part. This makes the event very grand and official. Both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate have officially recognized these medals. This means they are seen as a very important national honor. Each year, the names of the people who receive the medal are written into the Congressional Record. This is a daily record of what happens in the U.S. Congress.
The Great Hall Gala
The main event, a gala dinner and ceremony, happens in the Great Hall of Ellis Island. This is the same hall where millions of immigrants were processed when they first arrived in America. About 100 people are honored with the medal each year. It is a special way to remember the history of Ellis Island and celebrate American diversity.
Famous People Who Received the Medal
Many well-known people have been given the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Here is a list of some of them:
- Spencer Abraham
- Gary Ackerman
- Shohreh Aghdashloo
- Danny Aiello
- Roger Ailes
- Muhammad Ali
- Madeleine Albright
- Shamsi Ali
- Michael W. Allen
- Goli Ameri
- Cyrus Amir-Mokri
- Ernie Anastos
- Abbas Ardehali
- Christopher Atamian
- Gjorgjija Atanasoski
- Igor Babailov
- Gwendolyn Calvert Baker
- Maria Bartiromo
- Ajaypal Singh Banga
- Yogi Berra
- Nicolas Berggruen
- Brian Boitano
- Michael Bolton
- Matthew Bogdanos
- Victor Borge
- Ernest Borgnine
- Peter Boyer
- William Bratton
- Ian Bremmer
- Anita Bryant
- Dan Burton
- George H. W. Bush
- John J. Cali
- Keith Carradine
- Jimmy Carter
- Salvatore Cassano
- Bernadette Castro
- Sam Chang
- Elaine Chao
- Dominic Chianese
- Randolph Chitwood
- Sanjiv Chopra
- Mary Higgins Clark
- Bill Clinton
- Hillary Clinton
- Jerry Colangelo
- Claudette Colbert
- Natalie Cole
- Rita Cosby
- Brad Corbett
- Reza Dana
- Bruce DeMars
- Vince DeMentri
- Wendy Diamond
- Joe DiMaggio
- Phil Donahue
- Kirk Douglas
- Michael Douglas
- Tom Dreesen
- Olympia Dukakis
- Tan Dun
- Victor Dzau
- Michael Eisner
- Emilio Estefan, Jr.
- Gloria Estefan
- Omid Cameron Farokhzad
- Jamie Farr
- Mia Farrow
- Michael C. Finnegan
- Siegfried Fischbacher
- Michael Flatley
- Renée Fleming
- Gerald Ford
- Louis Freeh
- Joshua S. Friedman
- Valentín Fuster
- Paul G. Gaffney II
- Bill Gallo
- Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
- Bob Gaudio
- Hossein Gharib
- Kathie Lee Gifford
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Rudy Giuliani
- Salvatore Giunta
- Richard Greco, Jr.
- Vartan Gregorian
- Peter Gruss
- Sudhir K. Gupta
- Alex Haley
- Adil Haider
- George Hamilton
- Helen Hayes
- David A. Hirsch
- Yumi Hogan
- Evander Holyfield
- Bob Hope
- Roy Horn
- Lee Iacocca
- Mike Ilitch
- Roy Innis
- Daniel Inouye
- Rahul M. Jindal
- Quincy Jones
- Yue-Sai Kan
- Casey Kasem
- Declan Kelly
- Anthony Kennedy
- Olga Kern
- Jeong H. Kim
- Coretta Scott King
- Henry Kissinger
- Gerda Weissmann Klein
- Wilson Ko
- Padma Lakshmi
- Ralph J. Lamberti
- Stewart F. Lane
- Tommy Lasorda
- Denis Leary
- Jerry Lewis
- Kenneth R. Leibler
- Robert Loggia
- Dave Longaberger
- Susan Lucci
- Howard Lutnick
- Oren Lyons
- Nigel Lythgoe
- Steven Mandis
- Salvatore R. Martoche
- Jamie Masada
- John McCain
- Linda McCartney
- Douglas Walter McCormick
- Bonnie McElveen-Hunter
- John McEnroe
- Gail J. McGovern
- Jim McGreevey
- John Mica
- Alan B. Miller
- Arturo Di Modica
- Hamid Moghadam
- Rita Moreno
- Angelo Mozilo
- John F. Mulholland, Jr.
- Souhel Najjar
- Jacques Nasser
- Robert J. Natter
- Alex Navab
- Younes Nazarian
- Wayne Newton
- Richard Nixon
- Ronald Noble
- Michael Novak
- Denis O'Brien
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- John O'Hurley
- James P. O'Neill
- Raymond T. Odierno
- Kenneth Offit
- Edward James Olmos
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
- Tony Orlando
- Mehmet Oz
- Fatih Ozmen
- Farah Pahlavi
- Arnold Palmer
- Lou Papan
- Rosa Parks
- Gregory Peck
- Carl Peterson
- Vanda Pignato
- Al Primo
- James Henry Quello
- Naeem Rahim
- Charles Rangel
- Sally Jessy Raphael
- Rachael Ray
- Ronald Reagan
- L. Rafael Reif
- Janet Reno
- William Rehnquist
- Mary Lou Retton
- Chita Rivera
- Mariano Rivera
- Doris Roberts
- Ahmadreza Rofougaran
- Ginni Rometty
- David Rubenstein
- Howard Safir
- Henry Samueli
- Harut Sassounian
- Telly Savalas
- Diane Sawyer
- Adam Schiff
- Eric Schmidt
- Martin Scorsese
- Rosanna Scotto
- Liev Schreiber
- Tamer Seckin
- Jane Seymour
- Brooke Shields
- Don Shula
- William E. Simon
- Paul Simon
- Frank Sinatra
- Fauja Singh
- Gary Sinise
- Paul Sorvino
- Alex Spanos
- Robert F. Spetzler
- George Steinbrenner
- Jerry Stiller
- Bert Sugar
- Elie Tahari
- Will Tanous
- Glover Teixeira
- Marlo Thomas
- Joe Torre
- Arthur Tracy
- Donald J. Trump
- George Uribe
- Dennis Vacco
- Frankie Valli
- Dick Vermeil
- Meredith Vieira
- Bobby Vinton
- Mike Wallace
- Eli Wallach
- Barbara Walters
- Dionne Warwick
- Donald E. Washkewicz
- Ruth Westheimer
- Elie Wiesel
- Andy Williams
- Siggi Wilzig
- Aldona Wos
- Chien-Shiung Wu
- Malala Yousafzai
- Tim Zagat
- Louis Zamperini
- Philip Zepter
- Mehra Golshan