They call her “the first lady of the press” for good reason: as a White House correspondent for the United Press, she has covered every president since John F. Kennedy. Helen Thomas will share her 57 years of White House reporting experience on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 3:30 in the Carole and Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium with an audience that could quite possibly be larger than that for the Republican presidential primary debate.
“Thomas is one of the best known journalists in the country,” says Kenneth Osgood, political science professor and Director of the Larkin Symposium, the event’s sponsor. “For a long time she sat in the front row of the president’s press conferences and became known for ending the conferences with the words, ‘Thank you Mr. President.'”
The event, and all others sponsored by the Larkin Symposium, is free for all students and faculty and tickets can be obtained at the University Center Box Office.
“She’s also one of the country’s most hard-hitting journalists,” adds Osgood. “She doesn’t pull punches, she speaks her mind and she tries to get straight answers from the president and her advisors. I can assure you she will say provocative and interesting things when she comes to FAU.”
Alan B. Larkin, after whom the Larkin Symposium was named, was a resident of Boca Raton with a unique passion for history. “At his house, he had an impressive display of signatures from every single president – from George Washington to George Bush,” explains Osgood.
When he passed away, Larkin’s family partnered with FAU’s history department to develop a symposium in his honor.”It’s an amazing opportunity to have her [Thomas] here to talk about her experiences in the White House,” says Osgood. “Few other people have seen as many presidents up close as Thomas.”
Osgood selected Thomas because he believes she is “a perfect fit” for the Larkin Symposium, in line with its mission of educating students and the community about the American presidency.
Thomas is renowned not only for her journalistic acumen but also for being one of the first women to break the gender barrier in her field. As a result, she has become one of the most well-known journalists in history. In her speech on Tuesday, Thomas will address her experiences as a White House reporter as well as the war in Iraq and the role of women in American politics.
“I was ecstatic when I learned that Ms. Thomas was coming to FAU,” says Marsha Rose, associate professor of sociology and director of the Women’s Studies Center, which has sponsored numerous speakers over the years. “It is important that young women and men realize the importance of the ‘fourth estate’ for an open and free society. Equally significant, I hope that the young women at FAU see in Helen Thomas the significance of tenacity, agency, and empowerment as our students leave the academy.”
Thomas is not only a role model for women but for professionals everywhere.
“Helen Thomas’ experiences in the White House span a generation,” Rose adds. “She is a strong woman, who has had to withstand ridicule and personal attacks on her behavior. Through it all, she has maintained a dignity and professionalism that is a rare commodity in politics.”
Osgood assures students this will be an event worth attending. “This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Here is a chance to meet one of the 25 Most Influential Women in America, according to The World Almanac,” he says.
“Here is a chance to get the inside scoop from a woman who has known seven presidents. You know, Thomas has traveled around the world several times with Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. It’s no wonder she is known as the ‘first lady of the press.'”
