April 17, 2000
HELEN THOMAS TO DELIVER USF COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS MAY 19TH
Called "Dean of White House Correspondents"
SAN FRANCISCO -- Helen Thomas, White House Bureau Chief for United Press International,will deliver the commencement address for the University of San Francisco's College of Arts and Sciences. The ceremony is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday May 19 at St. Ignatius Church on the USF campus.
Thomas will be awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters.
Thomas was the first female bureau chief at the White House, the first female president of the White House Correspondents Association and the only femal journalist to accompany President Nixon on his groudbreaking trip to China in 1972.
She joined the United Press in 1943, and started covering the White House in 1961. It was during John F. Kennedy's administration that she began signaling the close of presidential news conferences with the now familiar "Thank you, Mr. President," a tradition she continues.
"We are confident your commencement address will inspire, energize and animate our graduates to enter their professions with the same passion and commitment you have demonstrated in your distinguished career as a journalist and press corps professional," USF John P. Schlegel, S.J., said to Thomas in an invitation letter.
Thomas is the author of two books, Front Row at the White House and Dateline: White House.
For information, call Gary McDonald, director of media relations, at (415) 422-2699.
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