Fans Meet Deadline For Yogi Berra Presidential Medal Of Freedom Petition
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It was the bottom of the ninth inning, but fans came through with a big hit – getting enough signatures to petition Yogi Berra for a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The online petition needed 100,000 signatures by midnight Monday night. With barely an hour ahead of time, petitioners succeeded in getting the signatures.
The petition had been up for a month, but it took some last-minute campaigning to reach the signature goal.
The White House now must respond to the demand to give the honor to the Yankees legend. There is no timetable for a response, but the White House usually answers petitions within 30 days.
Established in 1960, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the country, given to people who make outstanding contributions to the world, CBS2's Elise Finch reported.
Lindsay Berra said her 90-year-old grandfather deserves the White House honor because he not only helped integrate baseball, but also served his country in World War II.
On her grandfather's 90th birthday, she told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell, "I think he thinks it's pretty cool. I'm not so sure he understands the magnitude of it."
"He enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a teenager. He was on a 'LCSS,' which stands for Landing Craft Support Small. He calls it a rocket boat that came off the USS Mayfield. He was a gunner's mate providing machine gun fire for our troops landing on Omaha beach during the D-Day invasion," Berra told WINS.
He is "a man of unimpeachable integrity and respect," the petition reads, and "continues to be an avid supporter of our armed forces."
Berra has also been a staunch advocate of education, setting up a scholarship 50 years ago at Columbia University that is still awarded today, and his museum in New Jersey "serves 20,000 students annually with character education programs and teaches the values of respect, sportsmanship and inclusion that Berra has demonstrated throughout his life and career," the petition reads.
Considered one of the greatest catchers to ever play the game, Berra was a three-time AL MVP during his 19-year playing career, all but one with the Yankees. He was an 18-time All-Star and is a member of the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
And he treats everyone like a friend, his granddaughter told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell.
"Despite how famous he is, he is the most humble, kind, compassionate, caring person you're ever going to meet," Lindsay Berra said.
