Helen Thomas, now an esteemed news reporter, Hearst columnist and member of the White House Press Corps, will be the keynote speaker for this year’s First Amendment Day.

Thomas was born August 4, 1920, in Winchester, Ky. She grew up in Detroit, Mich., and she graduated from Wayne State University.

“We are extremely fortunate to have her coming here. The committee on lectures and Dr. Bugeja, who also worked at United Press International, should be commended for inviting her,” said David Bulla, assistant professor of journalism and mass communication.

Her first job in journalism was for the Washington Daily News as a copygirl. When Thomas joined United Press International in 1943, she began covering federal agencies such as the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

Thomas has traveled to various countries numerous times with Presidents Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and was the only female print journalist to travel to China with President Richard M. Nixon in 1972.

She later became the White House Bureau Chief for United Press International and continued until her resignation on May 17, 2000.

“It’s so great to have someone with so much experience come to Iowa State. I’m really excited to see her in person and hope to learn a lot from her,” said Jessica Thoma, sophomore in pre-journalism and mass communication.

The World Almanac named Thomas one of the “25 most influential women in America” in November 1976. The Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award was founded in her name, which she was the first recipient of in 1998.

She is sometimes known as “The First Lady of the Press” and is remembered for ending presidential press conferences with “Thank you, Mr. President.”

Monday

First Amendment Day Kickoff – Peter Baker, Washington Post Moscow bureau chief, will give a lecture titled, “Kremlin Rising: Vladimir Putin and the Russian Counter-Revolution” at 6 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

Thursday

Reading of First Amendment Day Proclamation and Freedom March – 8 a.m. at Ames City Hall, 515 Clark Ave.

The Critical Triad: Administrators, Advisers and Student Journalists. Barbara Mack, Associate Professor of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, and Tim Wernentin, principal at Davenport Central High School. 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in 1210 LeBaron Hall.

Feast on the First – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Central Campus, featuring soap-box debates, student organization booths, music and more.

Journalists in Jeopardy – The Hazards to Freedom of the Press, featuring Dan Ehl, Centerville, Iowa, Daily Iowegian editor who was assaulted for an article he wrote about city government; Dennis Chamberlin, Pulitzer Prize winning photographer who worked in Poland and Russia; and John Carlson, Des Moines Register reporter who was embedded in Iraq. 2 to 3 p.m. in 102 Science I Hall.

Helen Thomas – Keynote Speaker for First Amendment Day. Former UPI White House Bureau Chief and now a columnist for Hearst. 8 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.

Friday

Speaking Freely: The Future of Talk – Barry Crimmins (Air America), Katherine Perkins (WOI), Baratunde Thurston, Tina Dupuy (Pacifica) and Steve Deace (WHO), moderated by Dave Saldana. 1:30 p.m. on Central Campus.

Satire and the First Amendment – Bill Burr, Barry Crimmins, Baratunde Thurston, Tina Dupuy. 11 p.m. in Stephens Auditorium.

For more information go to fad.jlmc.iastate.edu/index.php.