This week as the sixth annual Marshfield Cherry Blossom Festival approaches, several individuals will be honored for their outstanding achievements as part of the event filled program. However, few may realize the history behind these honors and the individuals who they were named after.
One such honor is Marshfield’s highest honor, The Edwin P. Hubble Medal of Initiative. The medal was first presented to Former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson in 2004 at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Texas.
“The honor was developed after congress began to discuss future funding for the Hubble Telescope,” said Ione Dines, charter member of the Cherry Blossom Festival committee. “Many were afraid that Hubble’s legacy could take a back seat and Marshfield claim to fame would lay in balance. Therefore, the festival chairman developed the award as a way to keep Hubble’s legacy alive across the country and to serve as a reminder of the great initiative that he showed in his lifetime.”
The Hubble Medal is presented during the Hubble Dinner, which is traditionally held on Friday night during the festival weekend. The Medal has also been presented in private ceremonies to individuals across the nation who have demonstrated initiative in their professional and private lives. The medal is presented to individuals or couples who have shown great initiative in their chosen field, honoring the initiative of Hubble and the fortitude exhibited by his scientific theories and discoveries. Dr. Edwin P. Hubble was born in Marshfield in 1889 and the Hubble family once owned an orchard business in rural Webster County, known as the Hubble Fruit Farm.
“This medal is a bi-partisan honor that is presented in honor of Hubble's life work and fortitude,” Dines said. “It is always presented to someone special and honorees have come from across the globe.”
Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara received the medal in a private ceremony at the George H.W. Bush Library in College Station, Texas in 2008.
“President Bush personally told me about his medal and was deeply moved by the gesture,” said Jonathan Sandys, fellow Hubble honoree and great grandson of Sir Winston Churchill during an interview for the 2010 festival.
“He said that he really enjoyed the people of Marshfield and would forever remember his visit here,” he said. “He also spoke so highly of the organizers of the festival and the respect they have shown his family throughout the years.”
Honorees have been vast in their professions and contributions to the world. A few have included; Rev. Billy Graham, George Beverly Shea, Frank Buckles (Missouri native and the nation’s last World War I veteran), Gov. Warren and Betty C. Hearnes, Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu from “It’s a Wonderful Life”), Justin Rockefeller, David DeJonge, Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou of “The Andy Griffith Show”), John S.D. Eisenhower, Maggie Peterson Mancuso (Charlene Darling of “The Andy Griffith Show”), Devon Nixon, Dr. Ken Hechler and many others.
This year the Hubble Medal will be presented 6:30 p.m. on April 29 at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church. The 2011 honorees will include Dr. Martin Luther King, Lynne Jackson (great-great-granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott) and Dr. Christopher Sullivan.
The King family will be represented by King’s niece, Alveda King of Georgia. King currently serves as a Pastoral Associate and Director of African-American Outreach for Priests for Life and Gospel of Life Ministries. She is also a voice for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign.
The daughter of the late civil rights activist Rev. A.D. King and his wife Naomi Barber King, she grew up in the civil rights movement led by her uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Her family home in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed, as was her father’s church office in Louisville, Ky. She was jailed during the open housing movement. King is a former college professor and served in the Georgia State House of Representatives. She is a best selling author, accomplished actress and songwriter and the founder of King for America, Inc. She is also the recipient of a Doctorate of Laws degree from Saint Anselm College. The medal will be presented by Ken Hechler, who was one of the only member’s of congress to walk with Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King is the only honoree to be posthumously honored.
Christopher Sullivan is being honored for his work in preserving pieces of American history through his efforts in preserving artifacts associated with Academy Award winning film “Gone with the Wind.” This year is the 75th anniversary of Margaret Mitchell’s timeless masterpiece. Sullivan first read "Gone With the Wind" at the age of 13. This started a life long affection for both the book and film. He started seriously collecting Gone with the Wind memorabilia after graduating from medical school. The centerpiece of his collection is the original “Bengaline Gown” worn by Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in the film. It is the only original Scarlett gown in private hands, on continuous public display. It can be seen at The Marietta ‘Gone With the Wind’ Museum in Marietta, Ga.
Sullivan first displayed his collection at The Kent State University Museum in Kent, Ohio in 2000, where it had a successful 15-month run. He has also had long exhibits at the Self Family Arts Center on Hilton Head Island and at the MGM Disney theme park in Orlando, Fla. The collection found a permanent home in 2002 in Marietta, GA on the historic Marietta Square. The Gone with the Wind Museum is also referred to as "Scarlett On the Square." He hopes everyone will attend their big event the weekend of June 10 to honor the 75th anniversary of the publication of Gone with the Wind.
Sullivan graduated from the Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1979. He was honored to have served for five years in the U.S. Air Force as a physician. He specializes in the field of endocrinology, and has been in practice in Akron, Ohio since 1989.
Also, being honored is Lynne Jackson of St. Louis who has worked hard to preserve the legacy of her famed ancestors, Dred and Harriet Scott. Among the descendants of Dred and Harriet Scott, she was determined that the family should play a significant role in the 150th anniversary of the Dred Scott Decision. With her parents, John and Marcy Madison, she founded the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation. The Foundation’s vision includes playing a pivotal role in commemoration, education and reconciliation of our collective history with the Dred Scott Decision of 1857 as a starting point.
The foundation activities have allowed her to speak around the country on the history of her ancestors to such groups as the National Association of Attorney Generals Annual Conference of 2007, Dred Scott Symposiums at Washington University and Harvard University and the Inaugural Underground Railroad Institute Conference at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Ky. She and the foundation work to assure that there will be a statue of Dred and Harriet in St. Louis. There being none in existence to memorialize their critical role in the nation’s history, sculptor Harry Weber of St. Louis has designed a world class rendition of the couple which will stand on the east side of the old courthouse where their suit for freedom began.
Jackson holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Marketing from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. During her career, she has held management positions at The Girl Scout Council of greater St. Louis, Cass Information Systems, Ford Motor Company and Bryan Cave LLP.
Tickets for the Hubble Dinner are $20 and can be purchased at Freda’s UpTown Cafe and American Family Insurance or by calling 859-2460. To learn more visit www.cherryblossomfest.com.
