Tom Brokaw
October 21 – 7:30 p.m.

On December 1, 2004, one of the most trusted and respected figures in broadcast journalism, Tom Brokaw, stepped down after 21 years as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News. 

Brokaw continues with NBC News, reporting and producing long-form documentaries and providing expertise during breaking news events. In addition, he currently serves as interim host of Meet the Press, replacing the late Tim Russert.
 
Recently, Brokaw became only the second journalist to be honored with the Sylvanus Thayer Award from West Point.  He has also received numerous honors, including the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement award, the Emmy award for Lifetime Achievement and was inducted as a fellow into the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences and as a member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. 
 
In 2003, as the international controversy escalated over the increasing likelihood of war with Iraq, Brokaw traveled overseas to the diplomatic and military hotspots throughout the Middle East and the Gulf.  On March 19, 2003, Brokaw was the first American news anchor to report that the war with Iraq had begun, and in April 2003, he landed the first television interview with President Bush after the President declared the end of major combat. 
 
Brokaw has an impressive series of additional "firsts," including the first exclusive U.S. one-on-one interview with Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, earning an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award. Brokaw was the first and only anchor to report from the scene the night the Berlin Wall fell, and was the first American anchor to travel to Tibet to report on human-rights abuses and to conduct an interview with the Dalai Lama.

Brokaw's insight, ability and integrity have earned him numerous other awards for his journalistic achievements, including several Emmy, Overseas Press Club and National Headliner awards. In 2003, NBC Nightly News was honored with the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast, representing the program's fourth consecutive win in this category.

In 1998, Brokaw became a best-selling author with the publication of The Greatest Generation. Inspired by the mountain of mail he received from his first book, Brokaw wrote The Greatest Generation Speaks in 1999. 

His third book, An Album of Memories, was published in 2001.  In November 2002, his fourth best-selling book A Long Way from Home, a reflective look about growing up in the American Heartland, was released. His most recent book is titled Boom- Personal Reflections on the 60’s and Today (Nov. 2007).

Tom Brokaw