Originally posted December 28, 2011 @press.org
As we prepare to close the books on my NPC presidency and celebrate the inauguration of Theresa Werner, let's take a look at 2011 and some of the more interesting or amusing moments at our historic Club. In no particular order, here we go.
1) World Press Freedom Day is celebrated at The National Press Club. This was a remarkable event, held in the United States for the first time in the history of the event. Thanks to the hard work of Executive Director Bill McCarren and 103rd NPC President Alan Bjerga, we held the UNESCO Cano World Press Freedom Prize ceremony. It was an honor to preside over the event and meet the many inspiring delegates from around the world. This underscored our organization's commitment to press freedoms.
2) Speakers Luncheon with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Shortly after this Luncheon, the central bank decided to hold regular press briefings. This marked evolution of the Federal Reserve's efforts toward transparency.
3)
Herman Cain Speakers Luncheon. We had a bit of good fortune with this
one. His appearance came the morning after the news broke regarding
allegations of impropriety. Someone counted 40 television cameras in
the room. A fair amount of attention has also been focused on Cain's
singing at the end of the appearance, which I prompted after an earlier
singing performance at the Omaha Press Club. Just one version of this
on YouTube has had more than 100,000 hits.4) Fourth Estate Award winner Jim Lehrer. I'll never forget the reaction of the longtime PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer when I called to inform him that he was our selection committee's choice, asking if he were willing to accept it. I could tell he was truly touched. If you saw his memorable, emotional acceptance speech at the end of October, you know what I mean. He kindly agreed also to serve as honorary Chair of our annual Book and Author Fair. Sometimes referred to as the "Dean of presidential debate moderators", he couldn't have been nicer or a classier act.
5) Richard C. Hottelet receives presidential citation at NPC Awards night. The last of the surviving "Murrow Boys" at CBS News, we had a wonderful multimedia presentation before handing him the trophy. It included audio of his World War II broadcasts, imagery from the Battle of the Bulge and the invasion of Normandy. After getting a standing ovation, he walked up to the podium and thanked the audience. Then, he said "I just have one thing to say, I tried". Mr. Hottelet brought the house down with that succinct and humble speech. Everyone in the room seemed to love it. It was a lesson in speech making that many of us should emulate.
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