A number of individuals were honoured during the 2019 Republic Day celebrations.
Prof. Joseph Buttigieg, father of US presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg, was posthumously awarded the title of honorary member by President George Vella on Republic Day.
Buttigieg passed away in January of this year at the age of 71. His son, political novice Pete Buttigieg, has been surging in popularity amongst the democratic candidates and is the Mayor of small-town Southbend, Indiana.
His father, honoured earlier this morning, was born in Hamrun in 1947 and was a long-time professor at the New Mexico State University. In 1979, he was naturalized as a US citizen.
In a statement, the Cabinet Office said that on Republic Day each year, the President, on behalf of the government and people of Malta, pays public tribute to a number of Maltese citizens who distinguish themselves in different fields of endeavour, by appointing them to The National Order of Merit or the Xirka ġieħ ir-Repubblika, or by awarding them the Midalja għall-Qlubija or the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika.
Republic Day honours and awards were presented to 15 personalities and a group of athletes at an investiture ceremony on Friday morning following a ceremonial parade in Valletta to mark Republic Day. During the ceremony, five members were appointed to The National Order of Merit, two of whom received the award on an honorary basis, and one was awarded posthumously. Eleven other individuals were awarded the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika (Medal for Service to the Republic). Three of them were awarded the medal on an honorary basis and two posthumously.
Those awarded included former European Commissioner Karmenu Vella.
Via MaltaToday / TVM / Times of Malta
Photo SouthBend Tribune
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