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Presidential Citizens Medal Recipient Albert Abramson
President Bill Clinton Awards Citizens Medal to Albert Abramson
April 29, 1998
President Announces Citizens Medal for Albert Abramson
Today, in a Roosevelt Room Ceremony, President Clinton presented the Citizens Medal to Mr. Albert Abramson of Washington, DC. The Citizens Medal, established by Executive Order in 1969, is presented in recognition of United States citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens. This is the second highest civilian honor which the President can bestow upon a U.S. citizen. The presentation of the Medal may take place at any time of the year. Today's medal recipient, Albert Abramson, was the key force behind construction of the Holocaust Museum.
The son of Eastern European immigrants, Albert Abramson was born on July 6, 1917, in New York City. His family moved to Washington four years later. At the age of 25, he was discharged from the Army Air Corps and returned to Washington. Almost by chance, he fell into the home building business. Over the years, he has become one of the most successful real estate developers in the area.
Late in his business career, Mr. Abramson trained his vision on construction of the Holocaust Museum. Named Chair of the Building Committee, he dropped many personal business projects to focus on the Museum. Mr. Abramson mobilized the political and financial resources and architectural and building talents that were key to the realization of the Museum. It was Mr. Abramson's dedication and determination that got the Museum built.
The White House will release a photo from this presentation.
Albert Abramson, of Bethesda, Maryland, is a Holocaust survivor who has served on the Council since 1987. For eight years he was chairman of the Museum Development Committee, where he coordinated the construction of the Museum and its exhibits. He has been a partner of The Tower Companies since 1948. Mr. Abramson is a member of the International Leadership Reunion of the United Jewish Appeal, serves on the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University and is a trustee of the Woodrow Wilson Center. Before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1942, he received his L.L.B. from George Washington University.
Harvey Meyerhoff, James Ingo Freed, and Albert Abramson attend the celebration marking the "topping-out" of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The celebration took place at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum construction site. June 24, 1991
CITATION:
Survivors in the Russian Camp section of Mauthausen. May 5-10, 1945. Albert Abramson Collection, courtesy of USHMM Photo Archives.
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Citizens Medal History
