Schulz's Highest Award

By Stephen M. Silverman

11/24/1997 at 12:00 AM EST

President Clinton signed a bill on Tuesday ensuring that late "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz will receive the Congressional Gold Medal. The cartoonist, who died of colon cancer at the age of 77 last February, gave America "a unique sense of optimism, purpose and pride. Whether through the Great Pumpkin Patch, the Kite-Eating Tree, Lucy's Psychiatric Help Stand or Snoopy's adventures with the Red Baron, 'Peanuts' embodied human vulnerabilities, emotions and potential," said the measure.