The James Gordon Bennett medal, pictured here, has been renamed the Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci, Jr. Award. Todd Maisel/NY Daily News/Getty Images. CNN — ...

James Tempro, 88, a retired FDNY firefighter who won the James Gordon Bennett Award in 1969. He would like the FDNY to consider changing the name, as Bennett, like so many of his day, was a rabid ...

For 150 years, the James Gordon Bennett Medal has been one of the highest honors in the New York City Fire Department. Since 1869, the award has been given to firefighters who climb awnings to ...

It was the first time a black firefighter took home the award. Now, Tempro, 88 and retired, wants the name of the medal changed — because James Gordon Bennett wasn’t just a 19th-century ...

The James Gordon Bennett Medal, instituted in 1869 for firefighters who perform remarkable acts of bravery on the job, will be renamed to honor Peter J. Ganci Jr., ...

In permanently renaming the James Gordon Bennett Medal to the Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci, Jr. Medal, the current fire commissioner emphasized that the FDNY was not just doing its bit in a ...

The New York City Fire Department will rename its most prestigious award, the James Gordon Bennett Medal, because Bennett, a 19th century newspaper publisher, supported slavey and published racist ...

“The James Gordon Bennett Medal was endowed by its namesake to honor Firefighters who saved his home,” Nigro explains. “However, Bennett also held deeply racist beliefs and used his ...

James Gordon Bennett was a rich and powerful journalist back in the 19th century. ... "If they take no action, I will respectfully mail my medal back to the fire department," Tempro said.

The New York City Fire Department announced the renaming of a department medal of valor, citing the “deeply racist beliefs” of the award’s first namesake. The James Gordon Bennett Medal ...

88-year-old retired firefighter James Tempro is threatening to give back the FDNY's top honor: the 148-year-old James Gordon Bennett medal. He says it's because of the racist backstory of the man ...

The James Gordon Bennett medal, pictured here, has been renamed the Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci, Jr. Award. Todd Maisel/NY Daily News/Getty Images. CNN — ...