A medal for people of mettle

When President Gordon B. Hinckley of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bush on Wednesday, he joined — and enhanced — an august club of distinguished Americans. The club members range from Hank Aaron to Adm. Elmo Zumwalt.

They have been born to the manor (John F. Kennedy) and born of migrant workers (Cesar Chavez). Some, such as Estee Lauder, rose from poverty to positions of power and prestige.

Along with President Hinckley under "H" on the list one reads the names of Bob Hope, Vladimir Horowitz and Hubert Humphrey.

Five former U.S. presidents have received the award. Several first ladies have been honored.

The Medal of Freedom was instituted by President Harry Truman in 1945 to honor the heroes of World War II. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy brought the award back, this time crafting it for civilians who have made a valuable and vital contribution to the American way of life.

And, indeed, the alphabetical listing of the hundreds who have been honored reads like a Who's Who of American life. At age 94, President Hinckley isn't the oldest to receive the honor. Edward Teller, father of the hydrogen bomb, was given a Medal of Freedom not long ago at age 95. And if Lauder hadn't passed away a couple of months ago, she would have been 97 when she received hers this year.

Appropriately, the Medal of Freedom is a Lifetime Achievement Award. No flashes in the pan allowed. That fact was obviously born out by the names of this year's recipients: Pope John Paul II, Doris Day, Arnold Palmer, Rita Moreno, among others.

As expected, President Hinckley was gracious in accepting the medal.

As expected, he tried to deflect the limelight away from himself and onto the church he represents. Great souls seldom go in for a lot of fuss over who they are.

We were especially struck by Pres. Bush's comment that Pres. Hinckley has "always shown the heart of a servant and the gifts of a leader."

Though no sentence can ever sum up the life and thought of visionary individuals, that sentence is a noble attempt.