Tim
 Russert ’72, 
one
 of 
John 
Carroll 
University’s 
most 
beloved 
graduates,
 passed away 
June 
13, 
2008,
 at 
the 
age 
of
 58.
 A 
well
-known
 face 
of
 NBC’s 
political 
talk 
show,
 Meet the
 Press, 
Russert 
was 
a 
trusted 
figure 
in 
the 
media. 
As
 a 
tribute
 to 
his
 legacy, 
in 2009 John 
Carroll
 renamed
 the 
Department
 of
 Communication 
and 
Theatre
 Arts 
in 
his 
honor.

“An institution in both news and politics for more than two decades.”

-President George W. Bush

Hailing 
from 
Buffalo,
 New York,
 Russert
 became
 an 
integral 
part 
of
 the John 
Carroll
 community
 when 
he 
began 
his
 studies 
in 
Political 
Science.
 During
 his 
time 
at
 John
 Carroll 
he 
was 
elected 
Student
 Union 
President.
 Russert 
also
 won 
the
 Robert
 Beaudry
 Man
 of 
the
 Year
 Award
 in
 his
 senior
 year
 of
 1972 and received an 
honorary
 doctorate 
in
 1997. His
 dedication
 and
 support 
for 
John 
Carroll
 and
 Cleveland was always evident.

Beyond
 renaming 
the 
department,
 John 
Carroll
 has
 also 
honored
 Russert’s
 memory 
in

 other
 ways.
 One 
includes 
the 
introduction 
of 
the 
exciting
 and
 highly
 sought
 after
 NBC/John 
Carroll 
University
 Meet
 the 
Press Fellowship.
 This 
is 
awarded 
to 
one 
graduating 
senior 
who 
is 
looking 
to 
pursue 
a 
career 
in
 political 
journalism 
and 
provides
 them 
with 
a 
position 
at 
Meet 
the
 Press for
 nine
 months.

Before
 his 
death, 
Russert 
began 
The
 Tim
 Russert 
Endowed
 Scholarship at 
John 
Carroll
. 
This 
annual 
award 
is 
awarded 
to 
a 
high 
school
 student 
from 
the 
Buffalo 
or 
western 
New
 York 
area.

“He had done his homework, so we didn’t have to do ours. We longed to hear what his take on world events was.”

-Ethel Kennedy

After
 graduating
 from
 John
 Carroll
 in
 1972,
 Russert
 received
 a
 law
 degree 
(Juris
 Doctor)
 with
 honors 
from

 Cleveland 
State 
University’s

 Marshall 
College
 of
 Law
 in
 1976.
 Before
 becoming
 a 
host
 on
 Meet
 the Press,
 Russert
 was
 special
 counsel
 to
 U.S. 
Sen. 
Daniel 
Moynihan
 before 
being
 promoted
 to 
chief 
of 
staff. 
In 
1983
 he 
became 
counselor 
to 
Gov. 
Mario 
M.
 Cuomo
 of 
New
 York. 
Russert 
was 
hired 
to 
NBC
 News’ 
Washington
 Bureau 
in 
1984 
and 
by 
1989 
he 
had 
become 
chief 
of 
the 
bureau. 
In 1991, 
Russert
 was
 asked 
to
 host 
Meet
 the 
Press and 
despite
 having
 no 
on‐camera
 training, 
he
 proved
 to 
be 
a 
natural
 presenter.

In 
2008,
 TIME magazine 
named
 Russert 

one 
of 
the 
100 
Most 
Influential 
People 
in
 the
 world
 in
 recognition
 of
 him
 being
 “among
 the
 most
 astute,
 discerning
 and
 relentless
 pursuers 
of
 truth 
in 
the 
nation.
” (TIME,
 2009)

“He really was the best political journalist in America, not just the best television journalist in America.”

-Al Hunt (Washington Bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal)