GREENWICH, CT., December 1, 2005—Broadcast journalist Cokie Roberts was feted by Convent of the Sacred Heart at its Board of Trustees' Eighth Biennial Dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 26.  Roberts spoke on the importance of educating women, especially in third world countries to the 365 people who attended the event at the Hilton Rye Town.

This memorable event honored one of the most famous women in broadcasting and assisted the School in raising money for financial aid.  Proceeds from the dinner went to the creation of a new endowment fund that was established in memory of Cokie’s sister, the late  Barbara Boggs Sigmund, former mayor of Princeton, New Jersey, who died of cancer.   The endowment will provide tuition assistance for minority students in need of financial aid. Proceeds from the dinner also benefitted the New Orleans students and families at Academy of the Sacred Heart, our sister School, which Cokie and Barbara attended. 

The event began with a cocktail reception.  As Cokie greeted family and friends, a jazz band, selected in honor of Cokie’s New Orleans’ heritage, played in the background.    

Thomas S. Murphy, retired chair of the board of Capital Cities, was the master of ceremonies.  Ralph and Michele Giorgio were the honorary co-chairs.

The Board inaugurated its Trustees’ Dinners in 1991 to honor and pay tribute to people who exemplify a Sacred Heart education.  Since that time, the School has celebrated current and past Sacred Heart families, alumnae, past chairs and headmistresses, and the Society of the Sacred Heart.

            This year, the School honored Cokie Roberts, a political commentator for ABC News and senior political analyst at National Public Radio.  She is a graduate of the Stone Ridge School, in Bethesda, Maryland, a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools. 

As the winner of two Emmys, Roberts has been cited as one of the 50 greatest women in the history of broadcasting by the American Women in Radio and Television and named to the Broadcasting Hall of Fame.  From 1996-2002, she and Sam Donaldson co-anchored the weekly ABC interview program This Week.  In addition to her appearances on the airwaves, Roberts, along with her husband, Steven V. Roberts, writes a weekly column syndicated in newspapers around the country by United Media.  The Roberts are also contributing editors to USA Weekend Magazine, and together they wrote From this Day Forward, an account of their more than 35-year marriage and other marriages in American history.  The book immediately went onto The New York Times bestseller list, following a run of half a year on the list by Cokie Roberts’ other book, We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters.  The number one bestseller gave an account of women’s roles and relationships throughout American history.  Roberts recently published another book, Founding Mothers, which tells the stories of the women who raised this nation.

          Roberts also serves on the boards of several non-profit institutions and was appointed to the newly formed President’s Commission on Service and Civic Participation.