Helen Thomas: Dead at 92
On July 20, headlines reported the news. The doyen of the White House House press corps was gone.
After a long illness, the Gridiron Club and Foundation announced her passing. She ended decades covering presidential press conferences saying, "Thank you, Mr. President." She was special. She'll be sorely missed. She spoke truth to power. Too few like her remain. Washington targets those who do. She withstood tough challenges. She did it throughout her career. She was born on August 4, 1920. She's a Winchester, KY native. Her father was a grocer. She was one of nine children. She was the first female White House press corps representative. She worked for UPI. She covered US administrations for five decades. She began during the Kennedy years. Her tenure was unprecedented. As a high school freshmen, journalism was her ambition. In 1942, she earned a Wayne State University BA in English. Her career spanned six decades. She became a Washington Daily News copy girl. She advanced to reporter status. She did so quickly. Her talent was too good to hold back. She began reporting local news. She did women's stories. In the early 1950s, she covered Washington celebrities and government agencies. ● In 1960, she covered President-elect John Kennedy. She attended daily press briefings and conferences. In 1962, she convinced Kennedy to let women attend annual White House dinners. Journalists and photographers were invited. ● In 1970, she became UPI's first female White House Bureau chief. In 1975, she was the first woman admitted to Washington's Gridiron Club. Later she became its president. ● In 1975-76, she was White House Correspondents Association's first female president. Over the span of her career, she became a legend in her own time. No one in modern-day mainstream US journalism matched her. She was a fixture at White House press conferences. She was called "the First Lady of the Press." It was for good reason. She covered 10 presidents for over five decades. She asked hard-hitting questions.