Journalism alum Helen Thomas '42 passed away at age 92...
Detroit Free Press, 8/15
Helen Thomas, pioneering reporter, to be remembered at service today
A suburban Detroit church that pioneering journalist Helen Thomas attended as a child is holding her memorial service. The public memorial service begins at 11 a.m. today at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Troy. The 92-year-old Thomas died last month at her Washington, D.C., apartment. The Wayne State University graduate worked much of her career as a United Press International reporter and White House correspondent. She grilled nine U.S. presidents starting with John F. Kennedy. Niece Suzanne Geha says a "celebration of her life" is planned for October in Washington.
WDET-FM, 7/22
Fearless, feisty, controversial: Remembering Helen Thomas
Helen Thomas grew up in Detroit, and her family says she'll be buried here. Thomas, 92, died on July 20. She graduated from Wayne University in 1943, and began her journalism career as a copy-editor for the United Press. She eventually rose to the top of the White House press corps, questioning--even challenging--Presidents Kennedy through Obama. WDET's Pat Batcheller spoke with the head of Wayne State's journalism program, Jack Lessenberry, about Thomas's life, career, and some controversial remarks she made a few years ago.
http://wdet.org/news/story/072213--helen-thomas-jack-lessenberry/
WTOP Radio (Washington, D.C.), 7/20; WWJ-TV, WDIV-TV, 7/21
WSU's Jack Lessenberry reflects on Thomas
Jack Lessenberry, WSU journalism lecturer who worked close to Thomas, commented about her strong work ethic and willingness to give back. "She was always working but always had time for young people. A young reporter and other people told me this all over the country," Lessenberry said. "Young reporters would call her up and ask her questions and ask her advice, and she made time for them."
WXYZ-TV, WJBK-TV, WBUR-TV (Boston), The Detroit News, 7/20; WXMI-TV (Grand Rapids), WTVG (Toledo), WJR-AM, Lansing State Journal, 7/21
Wayne State alumna, trailblazing journalist Helen Thomas dies
Helen Thomas has died at the age of 92 after a long illness. Thomas was a native Detroiter and a graduate of Wayne State University. As a White House correspondent, she covered presidents from John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama. Thomas is known for breaking down numerous barriers in her field. She became the National Press Club's first female officer, as well as the first woman to be named White House bureau chief of a major wire service, the first woman to be admitted to the Gridiron Club, the first woman to serve as president of the White House Correspondents' Association and the recipient of multiple lifetime achievement awards. Outgoing WSU President Allan D. Gilmour called Thomas the school's "most notable alumni" in a statement released by the university. "Her courage, intellect, tenacity and wit made her a force to be reckoned with and an icon in journalism," said Gilmour. "The controversy in her final years does not overshadow her accomplishments over a long and distinguished career in the profession she loved."
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130720/NATION/307200032