Tuesday, November 06, 2001
4 to receive 2001 Neuharth Free Spirit Award
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| Alice Randall |
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| Chuck Yeager |
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| Donald Woods |
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Freedom Forum today announced that the second Al Neuharth Free Spirit Award of $1 million will be shared by the following four winners:
- Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, as he did last May 25.
- Alice Randall, controversial author of the 2001 best-selling novel "The Wind Done Gone."
- Donald Woods, courageous South African anti-apartheid journalist who died in August.
- Brig. Gen. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager, combat pilot, test pilot, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Charles L. Overby, chairman and chief executive officer of The Freedom Forum, said, "These four individuals embody the essence of 'free spirit': each has achieved great things in his or her own way and none has accepted the status quo."
The Al Neuharth Free Spirit Award is given annually to honor an individual or individuals who have demonstrated an abundance of free spirit, either through a single significant act or through a lifetime of achievement. The $1 million award, which will be shared equally among the four winners, will be presented at the Free Spirit Award dinner to be held on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m., at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. Weihenmayer, Randall, Yeager and Wendy Woods, Donald Woods' widow, will be present to accept the awards at the dinner.
"Free spirit is what makes all of our other freedoms work. The four winners of this year's awards exemplify an abundance of that free spirit, " said Al Neuharth, founder of USA TODAY and of The Freedom Forum.
- Erik Weihenmayer, mountain climber. On May 25, Erik Weihenmayer became the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. He has already scaled McKinley, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua and Vinson enroute to becoming one of the youngest mountaineers to climb the "Seven Summits," the highest peaks on each of the continents. Blind since the age of 13, Weihenmayer is an accomplished rock and ice climber, skydiver and skier. A former middle school teacher and wrestling coach, he is a motivational speaker and author of an autobiography, "Touch the Top of the World."
- Alice Randall, author. Alice Randall is the author of the novel "The Wind Done Gone," a parody of Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind." When she read "Gone With the Wind" as a young girl, Randall said she was hurt and troubled by the portrayal of the black characters. She wrote the book to help correct the racism she feels permeates the Mitchell book, which she has called "a racist text." Representatives of Mitchell's estate filed suit to prevent publication of the book, citing copyright infringement. Although the court issued a preliminary injunction to stop publication, it was later overturned. Randall also writes screenplays and country music.
- Donald Woods, journalist. South African journalist Donald Woods was a courageous anti-apartheid crusader, who served as editor of South Africa's East London Daily Dispatch from 1965 to 1977. He escaped from South Africa with his family in 1978 after having been banned from journalism by the government. He went to England, where he continued to speak out against apartheid in his lectures and writings. In 1978, Woods became the first private citizen to appear before the United Nations Security Council. His friendship with activist Steven Biko, who died under suspicious circumstances in a South African jail, resulted in the publication of Woods' book "Biko" in 1978. Woods, who was the author of nine books, including "Asking for Trouble: The Autobiography of a Banned Journalist," died of cancer in August.
- Brig. Gen. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager, test pilot. In 1947, pilot Chuck Yeager became the first human being to fly faster than the speed of sound. He flew combat missions in World War II and the Vietnam War and received numerous medals and honors for his service, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. Yeager was an Air Force flight instructor and test pilot, who flew experimental high-speed planes and continued to break flight records. He flew at more than twice the speed of sound in 1953. At Edwards Air Force Base in California, Yeager trained military astronauts, helping launch the space program. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Yeager is the author of "Yeager: An Autobiography" and "Press On."
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| Erik Weihenmayer |
The Free Spirit Award selection committee members are James Abbott, president of the University of South Dakota; Michael Coleman, president and publisher of FLORIDA TODAY; Clyda S. Rent, distinguished professor of sociology and research fellow of the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University; Mark Trahant, chairman and chief executive officer of the Maynard Institute; Joseph Von Thron, M.D.; and Joe B. Wyatt, chancellor emeritus of Vanderbilt University. Two Freedom Forum trustees also serve on the committee: Bette Bao Lord, author and authority on international activities, and Jan Neuharth, attorney and president of Paper Chase Farms in Middleburg, Va.
The award is supported by a $25 million endowment established in 1999 to honor Neuharth, founder of The Freedom Forum, on his retirement as a trustee of the foundation.
To schedule interviews with the Free Spirit Award winners or to arrange for camera crews to cover the award presentations, contact Mike Fetters (703/284-2895) or Dana Williams (703/284-2873).
Related
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