Late 'Tip' O'Neill Honored With Ford Medal Former House Speaker Thomas "Tip" O'Neill has been honored as recipient of the 2012 Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service. The medal was presented Monday by the late president's son Steve Ford at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington. O'Neill's oldest son, Thomas O'Neill III, accepted the award. He says the honor "makes the centennial year of" his "father's birth even more special." "Tip" O'Neill's service from 1977 until his retirement in 1987 made him the longest consecutive-serving House speaker in U.S. history. O'Neill died in 1994. The medal is presented in memory and recognition of the leadership attributes of Ford, who served as president from 1974 to 1977. Past recipients include Henry Kissinger, John Paul Stevens, James Baker, Dick Cheney and Alan Greenspan.