What's on your bookshelf? (Helen Thomas R.I.P.)

I never knew Helen Thomas, but I feel a little closer to her thanks to Urban Archeology. I have never ventured close to politics, or the press’ coverage of government affairs, but there was no one closer than Helen Thomas. A member of the press corps, reporters assigned by their respective news agencies to cover anything and everything coming from the White House, Helen Thomas was assigned there in 1961 and stayed until her retirement in 2010.

I came to know Helen through a Brookfield estate sale I wrote about in May. As I was looking through some books on a shelf, the person running the sale approached me. After describing the types of things I look for – old paper and/or a good story – She pointed out Helen Thomas’ 1999 autobiography, Front Row at the White House.  She explained that while it wasn’t very old, if I looked inside the cover I might find what I was looking for.

The book is a compendium of her experience as a member of the White House press corps with headings describing each President and First Lady she met through her work from 1961 through 1999. There are interesting tid-bits of gossip and a fair amount of her personal struggles to provide her employer with the best coverage of national issues amidst some cleaver press secretaries and spin-doctors.

Helen Thomas was known for asking the hard questions of each President and as being the first women to say the time-honored phrase given at the end of each press conference/briefing: “Thank you, Mr. President.” If you’ve ever seen the movie “Dave” with Kevin Kline, then you’ve seen her portray herself after Kevin Kline gives his press briefing as the ersatz President.

The book had a special note inside which you can read more about here.