^{Compton with Jake Johnson '17}

Christ School Speaker Series Hosts Legendary White House Correspondent Ann Compton

Ann Compton, ABC News White House Correspondent for 40 years, spoke at Christ School on April 14, 2016 at 7:30 p.m in the Mebane Field House. Compton addressed the Christ School student body and 500 guests, sharing wisdom and anecdotes from her unique perspective covering the White House under seven presidential administrations. Compton urged students to “be willing to say yes to things that might take you down an avenue you haven’t considered before,” adding “once you say yes, your word is your bond and you must see it through.”

Ann Compton joined ABC News in 1973. Only weeks after the Watergate scandal came to an end in 1974, Compton became the first woman assigned to cover the White House on a full-time basis by a network television news organization, and she was one of the youngest to receive the assignment. In addressing her retirement from ABC News after 41 years President Obama paid tribute to Compton saying, "Ann Compton, everybody here knows, is not only the consummate professional but is also just a pleasure to get to know."

On Sept. 11, 2001, Compton was the only broadcast reporter allowed to remain aboard Air Force One during the dramatic hours when President Bush was unable to return to Washington.

Reporting for all ABC News broadcasts, Compton has traveled around the globe and through all 50 states with presidents, vice presidents, and first ladies. Twice during campaigns, she was invited to serve as a panelist for presidential debates (1988 and 1992), and she was assigned as a floor reporter at the 1976 Republican and Democratic National Conventions.

Compton was part of the team that was awarded the prestigious Silver Baton Alfred I. duPont Columbia University Award for the network’s coverage of September 11, 2001. Her coverage of September 11 events was also recognized in ABC News’ Emmy and Peabody Awards. She was inducted to the Museum of Broadcasting’s Radio Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2000 into the Journalism Hall of Fame by the Society of Professional Journalists. She was chairman of the governing board of the Radio Television Correspondents Association in 1987-88, and served on the advisory board of the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center in New York. She says her most valued award is a golden statuette from the National Mothers’ Day Committee naming her a Mother of the Year in 1988.