The medal's obverse shows bust of Carl Sandburg l. Around, THE PEACE OF GREAT BOOKS BE FOR YOU - CARL SANDBURG
The reverse bears view of facade of Chicago Public Library under tree branch. Above, CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY; in exergue, FOUNDED 1872
Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was an American poet, writer and editor. He won three Pulitzer prizes, two for poetry and one for his Lincoln biography. Sandburg was a supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and was the first white man to be honored by the NAACP as a "major prophet of civil rights in our time."
The medal's obverse is still used today for the Chicago Public Library's Carl Sandburg Literary Awards.
The medal measures 63mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York.
References: MACo 1972-103