2-839-756 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Jefferson Award Medal presented to Dr. Sally K. Ride, 1984. Silver-plated bronze medal presented to Dr. Sally K. Ride by the American Institute of Public Service in 1984. Founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Senator Robert Taft Jr., and Sam Beard, the Jefferson Award is the country’s longest standing and most prestigious celebration of public service. Ride was one of four winners that year, chosen specifically for the Samuel S. Beard Award for "Greatest Public Service by An Individual 35 Years or Under." Sally Ride became the first American woman in space when she flew aboard STS-7 in 1983.