Helen Thomas

Called "the most famous woman ever to cover the White House" by the Washington Post, named "...a hero of journalism" by Dan Rather, Helen Thomas' resignation as senior White House correspondent for UPI made headlines. ABC's Sam Donaldson said, "For most of us, she was UPI."

A graduate of Wayne State University, Helen Thomas joined United Press International in 1943. She wrote the radio news for UPI for 12 years gaining new beats around the federal government, which culminated in her coverage of President-elect John F. Kennedy in 1960. She has remained a White House correspondent until May 2000.

Helen Thomas traveled around the world several times with Presidents, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton, and she has covered every economic summit. In February 1972, she was the only newspaperwoman to travel with President Nixon to China during his breakthrough trip. Since then, she has been to China on each subsequent presidential visit.

Helen Thomas has covered Watergate, Iran-Contra, Whitewater and the Impeachment trial, as well as, every other aspect of the White House and the Presidency since John Kennedy. Helen Thomas is an unparalleled source of modern presidential history as seen from the "Front Row at the White House."

A past president of the Women's National Press Club, Thomas was the first woman officer of the National Press Club (1959-60), the first woman officer and president of the White House Correspondents Association (1975-76), and the first woman member and president of the Gridiron Club.

Recognized by her peers with many awards for her pioneering accomplishments as a woman and for her journalistic excellence, Thomas has also received numerous honorary doctorate degrees.