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Babe Zaharias to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

Southeast Texas' greatest athlete to receive huge honor

BEAUMONT, Texas — Port Arthur born and Beaumont native Babe Didrikson Zaharias is scheduled to be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Thursday

President Donald Trump is expected to make the presentation to Zaharias Foundation President WL Pate at the White House.

Pate initiated what has been a near two-year campaign on Zaharias' behalf.

Babe, who is considered by many as the greatest female athlete of all-time, died of colon cancer at age 44 back in 1956.

In her short life Zaharias was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of The Year a record six times.

Later she would be named the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th century by the AP, Sports Illustrated and ESPN.

On the golf course she won ten LPGA major championships. Before that she won two gold medals and a silver in the 1932 Olympics in track and field.

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