PBS Broadcaster to be Commencement Speaker
Olivia Drake| Posted 02/01/07 |
 Jim Lehrer P85, anchor of Public Broadcasting Service’s The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, will be the featured speaker at Wesleyan’s 175th Commencement ceremony, which will be held on May 27, 2007.
Lehrer began his career at PBS in 1972 and partnered with Robert MacNeil in 1973 to cover the Watergate hearings. In 1975, the two men began anchoring The MacNeil/Lehrer Report In 1983 the show became the nations first 60-minute television evening news program and was re-titled The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour. Lehrer has been honored with numerous journalism awards, including a Presidential National Humanities medal in 1999. During the last five presidential elections, he moderated 10 of the nationally-televised candidate debates. An accomplished writer, Lehrer has written 15 novels; his latest, The Franklin Affair, was published in 2005 by Random House. He has also written two memoirs and three plays. His daughter Lucy Lehrer is a member of Wesleyans Class of 1985. This years Reunion-Commencement Weekend, which will run from May 24-27, will also mark the finale of Wesleyans 175th Anniversary Celebration. Wesleyans charter was granted on May 26, 1831. |
| By David Pesci, director of Media Relations. Photo courtesy of The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. |
Olivia Drake
Steve Scarpa