Tom Brokaw Biography

Fast Facts

• Has received honorary degrees from numerous universities and colleges, including Boston College, Duke University, St․ Lawrence University and Skidmore College
• Received his first Peabody Award for his report "To Be An American․"
• Received the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's "Tex" McCrary Excellence in Journalism Award in 1999
• Married author and former Miss South Dakota Meredith Lynn Auld in 1962
• Brokaw's career in the television industry came after being hired by KTIV in Sioux City, IA
• Quote: "Heroes are people who rise to the occasion and slip quietly away․"
• A distinguished political reporter, as of 2014 he had interviewed every president since Lyndon Baines Johnson
• Appeared in dozens of documentaries reporting on subjects ranging from race to AIDS and the war on terror to literacy
• Best known for his 21-year-long role as anchor and managing editor of "NBC Nightly News․"
• His book "The Greatest Generation" made him a bestselling author in 1998