Release date: April 27, 2007
Contact: Elaine Justice at 404-727-0643 or elaine.justice@emory.edu

Emory's Berman Honored by Former Hungarian President

Emory University School of Law professor Harold J. Berman has received the St. Stephen Medal from former Hungarian President Ferenc Mádl. The medal was presented to Berman April 27 in honor of his lifetime achievements. Gyula Kodolányi, President Mádl’s former appointed adviser and visiting scholar at Emory, presented the medal in a ceremony at Emory Law School.

“This honor is bestowed on professor Berman as an accomplished legal scholar, a humanitarian and a loyal friend,” said Kodolányi. “I present this cherished medal as a gesture of my respect for you and for President Mádl.”

The medal, a limited edition silver coin depicting St. Stephen I of Hungary, was issued by Mádl during his presidency to signify the 1,000th anniversary of the Hungarian state. According to Hungarian tradition, Pope Sylvester II in the year 1000 sent a gold crown to St. Stephen blessing him as the first king of the Christian state of Hungary. The “Holy Crown of St. Stephen” was removed from the country in 1945 for safekeeping. It was entrusted to the U.S. government and held in a vault at Fort Knox until 1980, when it was returned to Hungary by then President Jimmy Carter.

The St. Stephen Medal also has been presented to President Carter for his work in returning the Holy Crown to Hungary, and to Emory University Provost Earl Lewis.

President Mádl serves as an adviser to the World Law Institute (WLI) at Emory, and was a keynote speaker at the Conference on World Law and World Health, presented by the WLI in March.

Berman is a Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law at Emory, and is co-director of the WLI. He recently celebrated his 60th anniversary teaching law.

Emory University is one of the nation’s leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Emory is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. Emory is ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system. To access News@Emory RSS feeds, go to: http://news.emory.edu/Releases/RSSFeeds1124313225.html.

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