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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
MEDIA CONTACT: Eric Solomon |
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March 11, 2002 |
(202) 994-3087 |
**OPEN MEDIA COVERAGE**
100-YEAR-OLD ROBERT ST. JOHN TO RECEIVE HONORARY DOCTORATE FOR HIS LEGENDARY WORK AS JOURNALIST, AUTHOR, AND PIONEER BROADCASTER
MARCH 17
St. John has Spent 80 Years Reporting on Historic Events Including President Roosevelt’s First Campaign, D-Day, and the Dropping of the Atomic Bomb.
| EVENT: | On the occasion of his 100th birthday, The George Washington University will present broadcast pioneer and author Robert St. John with an honorary doctorate to celebrate his journalistic accomplishments over the last 80 years. |
| WHEN: |
Sunday, March 17,
2002 |
| WHERE: |
Jack Morton Auditorium
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Background: |
Robert St. John, who turned 100 years old on March 9, has spent 80 years in journalism and has logged four million miles in travel. He began his career in print journalism and eventually owned The Cicero Tribune in Chicago, where Al Capone’s mob took over his paper and left him for dead after a beating. In 1931, he joined the Associated Press, covering Franklin Roosevelt’s first presidential campaign. In 1939, he became a foreign correspondent in the Balkans and was later traveling on a Greek troop train, strafed by a Nazi plane in Greece. St. John, to this day, carries a Nazi bullet in his leg.
After escaping Europe on a Greek sardine boat, St. John returned to New York to report on the war for NBC Radio and was one of the first journalists to announce the D-Day invasion, reporting for 117 consecutive hours. While reporting the dropping of the atomic bomb, St. John managed to conquer the airwaves for 72 hours.
The author of 22 books, St. John has chronicled the lives of David Ben-Gurion and Abba Eban. He is now working on his 23rd book – a compilation of his experiences.
Located four blocks from the White House, The George Washington University is the largest institution of higher education in the nation’s capital. The University offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, law, engineering, education, business/public management, and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of 20,000 undergraduates, graduate, and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 120 countries.
***Media interested in
attending should call Eric Solomon for reservations at (202) 994-3087***
For more information on news and events at
GW, visit www.GWnewscenter.org
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©2002 The George Washington University Office of University Relations, Washington, D.C.
Contact gwnews@gwu.edu with questions and comments.