Bob Woodward, renowned investigative journalist and author, will be the featured speaker at Village Shalom’s Ages of Excellence Celebration at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at the Overland Park Convention Center.
Community leaders Pella Fingersh and James Klein are co-chairing the evening, which includes an elegant buffet dinner beginning at 6 p.m. for event sponsors, and a champagne dessert reception following Woodward’s presentation.
Proceeds from the Ages of Excellence Celebration help to provide financial assistance to senior adults who rely on Village Shalom for vital programs and services.
Woodward has worked as a reporter for The Washington Post since 1971, and is currently an associate editor of the daily newspaper. In 1972, as a young reporter for The Post, Woodward was teamed with Carl Bernstein; the duo was responsible for much of the original news reporting on the Watergate scandal in the 1970s that led to numerous government investigations and the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon. The Post won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of Watergate.
In addition, Woodward was the main reporter for The Post’s coverage of the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He was awarded the National Affairs Pulitzer Prize in 2002. He has won nearly every American journalism award, including the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency in 2003.
The Weekly Standard called Woodward “the best pure reporter of his generation, perhaps ever.”
Woodward is a prolific author with 17 non-fiction books in the last 40 years that have been national bestsellers, with 12 rising to No. 1 — more than any other contemporary non-fiction author. Woodward’s latest publication, “The Price of Politics,” published in 2012, examines recent efforts by President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress to restore the American economy.
“This is a unique opportunity to learn about modern American history from a preeminent journalist who not only documented it, but helped to influence its course,” said Pella Fingersh. “It will be an exceptional evening for the entire community.”
At the event, Woodward will participate in a unique “Conversation on the Couch” with esteemed local journalists Micheal Mahoney of KMBC-TV Channel 9 and Steve Kraske, host of KCUR’s “Up to Date” radio program and a columnist for the Kansas City Star. Woodward will also sign books following the presentation.
For more information about the Village Shalom Ages of Excellence Celebration, contact Sally Beyers, director of development, at 913-266-8412 or .