PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM

January 15, 1998
Remarks of President William J. Clinton

For Mardy Murie, wilderness is personal. She and her husband, Olaus, spent their honeymoon -- listen to this -- on a 550-mile dogsled expedition -- (laughter) -- through the Brooks Mountain Range of Alaska. Fitting for a couple whose love for each other was matched only by their love of nature. And they certainly must have known each other better after the trip was over. (laughter)

After her husband died, Mrs. Murie built on their five decades of work together. She became the prime mover in the creation of one of America's great national treasures, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and blazed trails for generations of conservationists.

Today, amidst the fir and spruce of the high Tetons, she shares her wisdom with everyone who passes by, from ordinary hikers to the President and First Lady, inspiring us all to conserve our pristine lands and preserve her glorious legacy.

Presidential Citation for Margaret E. Murie

We owe much to the life's work of Mardy Murie, a pioneer of the environmental movement, who, with her husband, Olaus, helped set the course of American conservation more than 70 years ago. Her passionate support for and compelling testimony on behalf of the Alaska Lands Act helped to ensure the legislation's passage and the protection of some of our most pristine lands. A member of the governing council of The Wilderness Society, she also founded the Teton Science School to teach students of all ages the value of ecology. For her steadfast and inspiring efforts to safeguard America's wilderness for future generations, we honor Mardy.