Release date: March 2, 2004
Contact: Deb Hammacher, Associate Director, University Media Relations,
at 404-727-0644 or dhammac@emory.edu

Emory Celebrates Women's History Month

Emory University's celebration of Women's History Month is highlighted by keynote speaker Helen Thomas, journalist and former White House bureau chief for United Press International. Thomas' lecture will be followed by a book signing. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30 in Tull Auditorium, Gambrell Hall, Emory School of Law, 1301 Clifton Rd., Emory. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 404-727-2001.

Commonly referred to as "The First Lady of the Press," Thomas served for 57 years as a White House correspondent for UPI, covering every president since John F. Kennedy. She left her position with United Press International in 2000 and now is a syndicated columnist with Hearst Newspapers. She has written three books, including her latest, "Thanks for the Memories Mr. President: Wit and Wisdom From the Front Row at the White House."

Beginning as a copy girl for the now defunct Washington Daily News, Thomas worked her way up to a radio news writer for UPI and eventually began covering the federal government. In November 1960, she began covering President-elect John F. Kennedy, following him to the White House as a White House correspondent. Thomas began using the phrase that would become her trademark, "Thank you, Mr. President," at the closing of presidential press conferences during this first White House assignment.

Thomas has been a pioneer for women in the press. She was the only woman print journalist to travel with President Nixon to China in 1972. She covered every economic summit while traveling the world with Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and both Bushes. She also has the distinction of being cited as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in America by The World Almanac.

Other prominent events taking place during Women's History Month include "What I Know for Sure: Women Exploring Truths," an exhibit of photographs by Women in Focus, a consortium of women photographers; and the Annual National Black Herstory Conference.

The schedule of events for Women's History Month below includes the events most accessible to the general public. For a more complete listing of events, go online to www.emory.edu/WOMENS_CENTER. All events are open to the public and are free unless otherwise noted.

March 8
International Women's Day

March 16
"The Biography of a Pot: A Mangbetu Vessel and her Contexts." Sienna Brown, Emory art history graduate student. Noon. Carlos Museum reception hall, 571 S. Kilgo Circle, Emory. 404-727-0519

March 16
President's Commission on the Status of Women at Emory Spring Event. Keynote speaker will be Regina Werum, Emory professor of sociology. 4 p.m. Governor's Hall, Miller-Ward Alumni House, 815 Houston Mill Rd., Emory. 404-727-2001

March 17
"What I Know for Sure: Women Exploring Truths." Closing reception for an exhibit of photographs from Women in Focus, a consortium of women photographers. 5 p.m. The Art Gallery, Dobbs Center, 605 Asbury Circle, Emory. 404-727-2787

March 18
Female Director's Series: "The Apple" (Samira Makhmalbaf, 1998, 85 min.). The film documents the real-life story of two girls who were locked in a room by their father for the first 12 years of their lives. 7 p.m. Women's Center conference room, behind Dobbs Center, 605 Asbury Circle, Emory. 404-727-2001

March 18
"Women in Clay: Sacred Ceramics From Northeastern Nigeria." Lecture. Marla C. Berns, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History. 7 p.m. Carlos Museum reception hall, 571 S. Kilgo Circle, Emory. 404-727-0519

March 18
Annual Pride Banquet. Keynote speaker Margaret Edson, Pulitzer prize-winning playwright. Reception, dinner and talk with Edson. 6:30 p.m. Free, but reservations required. Governor's Hall, Miller-Ward Alumni House, 815 Houston Mill Rd., Emory. 404-727-0272

March 22-23
Paula Vogel, playwright. Vogel is the recipient of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for "How I Learned to Drive." Her plays have been performed at theaters throughout the United States, Canada, England, Brazil, Chile and Spain.
• March 22
Reading and book signing after a reception. 6:30 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. reading and book signing. Jones Room, Woodruff Library, 540 Asbury Circle, Emory. 404-727-6868
• March 23
Colloquium. 2:30 p.m. Jones Room, Woodruff Library, 540 Asbury Circle, Emory. 404-727-6868
"The Baltimore Waltz." Theater Emory will present a staged reading of Vogel's "The Baltimore Waltz," a play that depicts a brother and sister whose love and creativity guide them in facing fatal illness. 7:30 p.m. Mary Gray Munroe Theater, Dobbs Center, 605 Asbury Circle, Emory. 404-727-5050

March 25
"Women's Truths--A Dance Presentation," a collection of original works. Noon. Dance studio, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, 1700 N. Decatur Rd., Emory. 404-727-5050

March 25
"Boundless," an exhibit tracing the history of the Emory dance program. Opening reception. 4:30 p.m. Schatten Gallery, Woodruff Library, 540 Asbury Circle, Emory. 404-727-6861

March 25
African beer tasting. Tasting will feature beer and vessels made by African women. 7 p.m. Carlos Museum reception hall, 571 S. Kilgo Circle, Emory. 404-727-0519

March 26-27
Seventh Annual National Black Herstory Conference. A two-day conference celebrating women of African descent. 12:30 p.m. 208 White Hall, 301 Dowman Dr., Emory. 404-712-9674

March 26
National Black Herstory Awards Banquet. Annual awards presentation with musical guest. 7 p.m. $35 dinner ticket. Cox Hall Ballroom, 569 Asbury Circle, Emory. 404-712-9674

March 28
University Worship, Women's History Month Sunday Celebration. 11 a.m. Cannon Chapel, 515 Kilgo Circle, Emory. 404-727-6226

March 30
"An Evening With Helen Thomas." Keynote address by the first lady of the White House press corps. 7:30 p.m. Tull Auditorium, Gambrell Hall, Emory School of Law, 1301 Clifton Rd., Emory. 404-727-2001

Through March 19
"What I Know for Sure: Women Exploring Truths." A show of photographs by Women in Focus. The Art Gallery, Dobbs Center, 605 Asbury Circle, Emory. 404-727-2787

Through April 18
"Spirited Vessels: Creation and Ritual in African Ceramics." The exhibit celebrates women in African art and society. Carlos Museum galleries, 571 S. Kilgo Circle, Emory. 404-727-0519

Permanent Display
"A Chronicle of Significant Events in the Lives of Women at Emory University." The exhibit features vintage photographs from the Woodruff Library's Special Collections. Emory Women's Center, behind Dobbs Center, 605 Asbury Circle, Emory. 404-727-2001

Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. For more than a decade Emory has been named one of the country's top 25 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, a comprehensive metropolitan health care system.

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