Rep. Bob Etheridge (NC-02) was among dozens of Members of Congress who welcomed seven-time PGA tour winner and golf hall of famer, Arnold Palmer, to Capitol Hill last week (Wednesday, 09-30-09). Palmer visited the nation’s capital to collect a different kind of medal, the Congressional Gold Medal.
The Congressional Gold Medal, along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is the highest civilian award in the United States. Palmer also received the National Sports Award from former President Bill Clinton in 1993, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President George W. Bush in 2004.
Palmer is the second golfer to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, which must be co-sponsored by two-thirds of the House and Senate. Byron Nelson received the medal after his death in 2006. The medal has been presented 141 times, the first one to George Washington in 1776.