Four Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients have SCU ties
Four people with close ties to Santa Clara University have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Father Greg Boyle, S.J., STM ’86, lawyer Clarence B. Jones, astronaut Ellen Ochoa, and South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn were among 19 individuals to receive the nation’s highest civilian honor in 2024.
Boyle founded Los Angeles-based nonprofit Homeboy Industries which provides former gang members and ex-felons life skills and employment opportunities.
A valued friend of the SCU Law School, Jones assisted Martin Luther King, Jr. in drafting his historic “I Have a Dream” speech.
Ochoa is the sister of Law Professor Tyler Ochoa and was honored as the first Hispanic woman in space and director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
And Rep. Clyburn, a recent recipient of the Panetta Foundation Award by Leon Panetta ’60, J.D. ’63, was recognized for guiding President Biden through his 2020 presidential campaign.
