Mike Ford, Steve Ford, Susan Ford Bales with Carl Levin and John Dingell | View event photos on Flickr
Former US Senator Carl Levin and former US Congressman John Dingell were selected as the recipients of the 2015 Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Together with Ford Family members Steve Ford, Mike Ford and Susan Ford Bales, the medal was presented by Foundation Chairman Red Cavaney and Foundation Trustee Carla A. Hills at the Annual Dinner of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C. on June 1, 2015 .
The Foundation presented former Senator Carl Levin and former Congressman John Dingell with the 2015 Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service for their years of honored service to the State of Michigan and the nation. Levin was the longest serving US Senator in Michigan history. He served as Chairman of the Armed Services Committee and prior to his Senate career was President of the Detroit City Council. Levin was also a key figure in naming CVN 78 the USS Gerald R. Ford.
John Dingell was the longest serving US Congressman in US history. His career began as a Page in the US House of Representatives and then served in the US Army during World War II. Known as ‘Dean’ of the House of Representatives, Dingell fought to improve civil rights, clean air, Medicare and workers rights. He served as Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
When announcing the citation for Carl Levin, Carla A. Hills stated that the Honorable Carl M. Levin is the longest serving U.S. Senator in Michigan history, with a remarkable thirty-six year Senate career. He served in this roll from 1979 – 2015. Senator Levin is greatly esteemed on both sides of the political aisle for his integrity, resourcefulness and diligence. In the Senate, Mr. Levin served as chairman of the Armed Services Committee, becoming a leading voice on military and foreign affairs. Prior to his Senate service, Levin was President of the Detroit City Council.
Senator Levin was born in Detroit, Michigan and is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School. He worked as the General Counsel of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and as a special assistant attorney general for the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. Mr. Levin served on the Detroit City Council for eight years before getting elected to the Senate.
Mr. Levin is a life-long supporter of Michigan’s communities and natural resources. He was instrumental in obtaining federal funding for the development of Detroit’s riverfront and the M1-Rail system. The Detroit Riverfront Project was used to acquire land for a major five-mile walkway and greenway along the Detroit River. Senator Levin was also instrumental in other environmental causes, including the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act and he also participated in the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, where he fought to clean up and protect the Great Lakes.
Senator Levin has received the Four Freedoms Medal, from the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, in recognition of his leadership in the Senate on foreign and military policy. He has also been awarded the Harry S. Truman Award for distinguished service in support of national defense from the National Guard. In 2003 the Secretary of the Navy presented Mr. Levin with the Distinguished Public Service Award. The highest award given to a civilian.
Throughout his successful public service career, Carl M. Levin has demonstrated the personal and professional qualities exemplified by President Gerald R. Ford – Strength of Character, Diligence, Patriotism, Sound Judgment, and Integrity. He is a worthy recipient of the Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service.
When announcing the citation for John Dingell, Red Cavaney stated that the Honorable John Dingell represented Michigan in the longest uninterrupted Congressional tenure in U.S. history. His extraordinary public service career began as a page for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1938; he was on the House floor when President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his famous speech after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In 1944, at the age of 18, Mr. Dingell joined the United States Army and quickly rose through the ranks to Second Lieutenant. He received orders to take part in the first wave of a planned invasion of Japan in November 1945.
After the war Mr. Dingell attended Georgetown University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and later, a Juris Doctor. Mr. Dingell was a lawyer in private practice until 1955. Mr. Dingell served in the United States House of Representatives for more than 59 years; from December 13, 1955 to January 2, 2015. In January 1995 Mr. Dingell became Dean of the United States House of Representatives. During his Congressional tenure he fought for civil rights, clean water, Medicare, and the American workers’ rights.
Mr. Dingell served as the Chairman of the House Energy Committee from 1981 to 1994 and again from 2007 to 2009. In 2013 the House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton released the following statement in response to the announcement that the main Energy and Commerce Committee hearing room would be named in honor of former Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Dingell.
“John Dingell is a congressional giant, and he wielded the gavel as Energy and Commerce Chairman with a strong, determined hand, always with the interests of the nation first. John Dingell will forever be synonymous with Michigan, Congress, and his beloved Energy and Commerce Committee. I can think of a no more fitting recognition than to have the name of my friend and colleague gracing our proud and storied committee room. Now, when future generations arrive at 2123 Rayburn to watch the people’s business, they will immediately be reminded of the rich and historic legacy of the distinguished gentleman from Michigan.”
Throughout his long and distinguished public service career, John Dingell has demonstrated the personal and professional qualities exemplified by President Gerald R. Ford – Strength of Character, Diligence, Patriotism, Sound Judgment, and Integrity. He is a worthy recipient of the Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service.
Mission Statement
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation fosters increased awareness of the life, career, values and legacy of America’s 38th President. It does so through activities designed to promote the high ideals of integrity, honesty, and candor that defined President Ford’s extraordinary career of public service. The Foundation promotes the ideals, values, commitment to public service and historical legacy of President Gerald R. Ford and further promotes greater civic engagement and recognition of integrity wherever it exits in the public arena. It supports permanent and changing exhibits designed to promote historical literacy; conferences; educational outreach and other programs, both scholarly and popular, including at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.
