We have just been informed that Ollie Johnston, veteran Disney animator and the last surviving member of Walt’s Nine Old Men, will be awarded with the National Medal of Arts which will be “presented by the President and Mrs. Laura Bush in an Oval Office ceremony at the White House on November 10.” He will be accompanied on the journey by members of his family as well as by Roy E. Disney, emeritus member of the Disney board, and Howard Green, Vice President of Communications for the Walt Disney Studios.

UPDATED: Yahoo! News Photo (link via Cartoon Brew)

The full text of the official press release follows:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2005

PRESIDENT BUSH ANNOUNCES 2005 MEDAL OF ARTS RECIPIENTS

Washington, D.C. – President George W. Bush today announced the recipients of the 2005 National Medal of Arts. Ten medals will be presented by the President and Mrs. Laura Bush in an Oval Office ceremony at the White House on November 10. The National Endowment for the Arts notified the artists of their selection to receive a National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence.

“These individuals and organization have all made significant and enduring contributions to the artistic life of our nation,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia. “Whether through pioneering film animation, writing memorable novels, championing jazz, or creating new dance styles, their work has transformed the ways we experience and appreciate the world.”

The 2005 National Medal of Arts Recipients
Louis Auchincloss, author, New York, NY
James DePreist, symphony orchestra conductor, Portland, OR
Robert Duvall, actor, Plains, VA
Leonard Garment, arts patron and advocate, New York, NY
Ollie Johnston, film animator and artist, Burbank, CA
Wynton Marsalis, trumpeter, composer, artistic director, New York, NY
Dolly Parton, singer, songwriter, Pigeon Forge, TN
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, school of fine arts/museum, Phildelphia, PA
Tina Ramirez, dance company artistic director, choreographer, New York, NY

The National Medal of Arts, established by Congress in 1984, is awarded by the President to those who have made extraordinary contributions to the creation, growth, and support of the arts in the United States. Each year, the Endowment seeks nominations from individuals and organizations across the country. The National Council on the Arts, the Endowment’s Presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed advisory body, reviews the nominations and provides recommendations to the President, who selects the recipients.

The National Endowment for the Arts gratefully acknowledges The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities for its support of the 2005 National Medal of Arts.

For more information, contact the National Endowment for the Arts Communications Office at 202-682-5570.