Tom BROKAW - our next Baker Distinguished Lecturer - Nov. 13, 1:30 pm will
appear at the COX Auditorium, in the Alumni Memorial Building. Doors will open
at 1 PM and the lecture will begin promptly at 1:30 pm. Parking is available for
$2/hour at the Vol Hall garage. (See attached map.)
Brokaw is a former anchor for NBC News, and he is also an author and special
correspondent for NBC News. He will speak at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 13 in the
University Center Auditorium.
The lecture is presented by the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. It
is free and open to the public, but reservations can be made. Seats will be held
only until 10 minutes before the event begins. Overflow seating will be available
on a first-come, first-served basis in the Shiloh Room (Room 235).
In addition to the lecture, Brokaw will be the special guest at a fundraising
luncheon to support the Baker Distinguished Lecture Series at 11:30 a.m. in the
Toyota Auditorium of the Baker Center. Former senators Howard Baker and
Nancy Kassebaum Baker are also expected to attend the luncheon.
Reservations are $150 per person or $75 for BDLS patrons. For more information
about the luncheon or becoming a BDLS patron, call (865) 974-0931 or visit
here: http://bakercenter.utk.edu/events/tom-brokaw-baker-distinguished-
lecture-on-nov-13-support-the-bdls/
This is the second year of the BDLS, which honors notable individuals who
exemplify the values of Sen. Baker. Previous honorees were Sen. George
Mitchell and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
“We are thrilled to have Tom Brokaw joining us for this special event,” Baker
Center Director Matt Murray said. “The media—the Fourth Estate—plays a key
role in our democracy, and Tom Brokaw has been on the front line of history,
sharing the most significant events of the last 50 years with the American
public. Over the years, he’s served as a lens, an investigator, and an analyst.
Hearing him talk about the many experiences of his career is sure to inform,
enlighten, and entertain us.”
Brokaw was born in South Dakota in 1940 and earned a bachelor’s degree in
political science from the University of South Dakota in 1964. He worked as a
radio reporter during college and, after graduating, worked in Omaha, Neb.;
Atlanta, Ga.; and Los Angeles. In 1973, working as NBC’s Washington
correspondent, Brokaw covered Watergate.
Brokaw served as anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” from 1982
to 2004. He is the only person to host all three major NBC News programs: “The
TODAY Show,” “NBC Nightly News,” and briefly, “Meet the Press.” He covered
many significant news stories, including the Challenger disaster, the fall of the
Berlin Wall, and Hurricane Andrew. He did the first one-on-one American
television interviews with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
After Sept.11, 2001, Brokaw postponed his retirement to cover the terrorist
attacks.
In 2006, Brokaw delivered a eulogy during the state funeral of former President
Gerald R. Ford.
He returned to the NBC News anchor desk on June 13, 2008, to announce the
death of his friend and colleague Tim Russert. Brokaw then served as interim
host for Russert’s Sunday morning series, “Meet the Press,” until a replacement
was found.
In 2008, Brokaw moderated the second presidential debate between Barack
Obama and John McCain at Belmont University in Nashville.
Brokaw is the author of several books, including the best-selling “The Greatest
Generation,” about Americans who came of age during the Great Depression
and fought in World War II.
The News Sentinel, WBIR, WUOT, and Jupiter Entertainment are sponsoring this
event with the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.
Established in 2003, the Baker Center seeks to further the public’s knowledge of
the U.S. government and public policy and to encourage civil leadership and
public service. The center sponsors programs to encourage informed discussion,
with a special focus on engaging young people in policy issues and public
service.
For more information, visit http://bakercenter.utk.edu.
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