[A] woman who helped hide Anne Frank, another who lost part of jaw to cancer and the artist Georgia O’Keeffe are the “Inspiring Women” a pioneer in her own right will talk about later this week in Burlington.
Journalist Susan Stamberg was a groundbreaker in the broadcast industry, the first woman to anchor an evening news program when she was named co-host of NPR’s “All Things Considered” in 1972. There was opposition from management, a belief a woman would be less credible, she said, but the audience was always supportive.
“Look at where we are today, with all the wonderful women in broadcasting,” she said by phone during a break at the Washington, D.C., studios. Recalling the early days — she was on staff when the network went on the air in 1971 and is considered an NPR “founding mother” — she let out a big laugh and said: “I think we had something like two people listening.”
Today, Stamberg is still a regular on the public broadcasting behemoth. Thursday evening, she will be in Burlington to talk about the three women who inspired her. The talk is part of an event for the Vermont Women’s Fund, which supports nonprofit organizations whose programs serve young women and girls. The fundraiser begins at 5:30 p.m. at the University of Vermont’s Davis Center.
Stamberg was a host on the popular public radio news show for 14 years, then switched to Weekend Edition. After that, she was a guest host and correspondent and, at 77, is still plugging away; she was working on a piece this week on new recordings that had been found of Frank Sinatra and she had just put together her annual Thanksgiving segment featuring her mother-in-law’s famous cranberry relish recipe.
“Ms. Stamberg is a trailblazer in her industry,” said Meg Smith, director of the Vermont Women’s Fund. “It is an honor to have her speak in support of women and girls in our state.”
The three women Stamberg interviewed who inspired her:
Miep Gies helped hide Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis during World War II. After the authorities came and took Anne away, Gies recovered Anne’s diary in the secret room where she had lived. In an interview with VTDigger, Stamberg spoke of Gies, who died in 2010 at the age of 100, in excited, reverential tones.
Betsy Wilson started an organization to help people cope with facial disfigurement after she lost a big part of her jaw to cancer.
Georgia O’Keeffe, a painter well-known for her landscapes, is considered the “Mother of American modernism.” In addition to having her on-air, Stamberg did a powerful piece about thousands of love letters O’Keeffe exchanged with photographer Alfred Stieglitz.
“They are all such incredible stories,” she said. “I hope people come out to hear about them.”
Stamberg says she took her role as a broadcast pioneer seriously and mentored many female broadcasters over the years. She also said she insisted that NPR replace her with another woman when she left “All Things Considered” in 1986.
“I’d like to think I’ve inspired some people too,” said Stamberg, a member of the Broadcasting Hall of Fame and winner of an Edward R. Murrow award.
Tickets cost $50 or $100 and are available through the Vermont Women’s Fund or the Flynn Theater box office.
All proceeds benefit the Vermont Women’s Fund.
