Legendary Journalist, Author, Tom Brokaw to Keynote AHF Hall of Fame

January 26, 2018  by Jane Chero in Designer Weekly, Industry, Special Events   

Brokaw’s keynote address is part of the AHFA’s new leadership initiative.

“Continuing the momentum, we are pleased to honor our inductees with a keynote address from one of America’s most respected newscasters and authors, Tom Brokaw,” said Jeff Child, president of the Foundation board of directors. “Lead with Vision 2018 will focus on celebrating the exceptional leadership of the men and women who have helped build and define our great industry, and we believe this year’s speaker will enlighten all of us with his insights and observations on people of strength, perseverance and courage that he has known and interviewed.”

Brokaw spent his entire distinguished journalism career with NBC News, starting in 1966 at the Los Angeles bureau where he covered Ronald Reagan’s first run for public office, the rise of the Sixties counter culture, the assassination of Bobby Kennedy and the 1968 presidential campaign.

In Washington, D.C., he served as a White House correspondent during Watergate and as the principal backup for John Chancellor as anchor of NBC Nightly News. In New York, he became the host of Today, followed by his appointment as anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. After the death of his close friend and colleague Tim Russert, Brokaw took over Meet the Press for the 2008 presidential campaign.

Brokaw reported on more than thirty documentaries, and compiled an impressive list of firsts over his career, including the first interview with Mikhail Gorbachev; the first network report on human rights abuses in Tibet including an exclusive interview with the Dali Lama; and the only American network anchor to report from Berlin the night the Berlin wall came down.

Brokaw published his first book in 1998, titled The Greatest Generation. It was one of the most popular non-fiction books of the 20th century. He published five other books, including BOOM!, Voices of The Sixties and The Time of Our LIves. He was also a popular essayist writing for The New York Times, Rolling Stone and other periodicals and newspapers.

Winning every major award in his field, Brokaw earned a Peabody, Duponts, Emmys and lifetime achievement recognition.

President Obama awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014.

His latest book, A Lucky Life Interrupted, is a powerful memoir that chronicles a year spent battling cancer and reflecting on his long, lucky life.