PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded Barbara Nicklaus the “highest honor in the State of Florida” on Friday in a special ceremony at the Honda Classic at PGA National.
Nicklaus, the wife of 18-time golf major champion Jack Nicklaus, was flanked by her husband as DeSantis presented her with the Florida Governor’s Medal of Freedom.
DeSantis highlighted Barbara Nicklaus’ longtime support for children’s healthcare, noting the more than $150 million raised by the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation to support projects in South Florida, the United States and more than 120 countries worldwide.
“When you’re talking about support for pediatric healthcare, I don’t think you can find somebody that has had more of a profound impact on this state than Barbara Nicklaus has,” DeSantis said. “…This has helped so many people and we’re proud of that.”
Nicklaus reflected on more than 60 years of marriage after receiving the award and credited her husband for motivating her philanthropic pursuits.
“I’ve always been so proud of him and I guess in turn I wanted him to be proud of me,” “Early in our marriage, we decided if we were in a position to help anyone, we wanted it to be children. We’ve been so blessed to live in Florida and give back to children and families in our state by providing the best medical care.
“What we do for ourselves, dies with us. What we do for others in the world, remains immortal.”
DeSantis gave the inaugural Florida Governor’s Medal of Freedom to longtime Florida State football head coach Bobby Bowden in 2021.
Other recipients include Felix I. Rodríguez-Mendigutía, a Cuban exile who served in the Vietnam War, participated in the Bay of Pigs Invasion and assisted with the capture of famed revolutionary Che Guevara in Bolivia.
The Governor’s Medal of Freedom is awarded to any person who has made an “especially meritorious contribution to the interests and citizens of the state, its culture, or other significant public or private endeavor.”
DeSantis toured the Champion course at PGA National prior to the ceremony, watching golf with patrons at the world-famous “Bear Trap” on the course’s back nine.
