The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Jon Voight, Alison Krauss honored with national medals
WASHINGTON >> Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight, singer andmusician Alison Krauss and mystery writer James Patterson are among the artists and philanthropists being honored by President Donald Trump for their contributions to the arts or the humanities, the first recipients of prestigious national medals since Trump took office.
The White House announced four recipients of the National Medal of Arts and four of the National Humanities Medal in a statement Sunday night. Voight is one of Trump’s few vocal Hollywood backers, and has hailed him as “the greatest president of this century.” Trump is also honoring the musicians of the U.S. military, who frequently entertain at White House events.
Trump will award the medals during a ceremony at the White House on Thursday.
While the honors had been an annual affair during past administrations, they have not been awarded since Trump’s inauguration in January 2017. The most recent arts or humanities medals were bestowed by President Barack Obama in September 2016.
Among the recipients of the National Medal of Arts: Alison Krauss, the bluegrass-country singer and musician, “for making extraordinary contributions to American music.” The White House misspelled her name in its release. The Musicians of the United States Military “for personifying excellence in music and service to country.” Jon Voight “for his exceptional capacity as an actor to portray deeply complex characters.” Voight starred in “Midnight Cowboy,” the 1969 film that won an Academy Award for best picture, and he won the best actor Oscar for 1978’s “Coming Home.” He appears in the Showtime series “Ray Donovan.”
James Patterson is among the recipients of the National Humanities Medal “for being one of the most successful American authors of our time.”