Member Connie Lawn Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from NZ National Press Club

It was with great honor that last week that I accepted, on behalf of the National Press Club, a gift of long-time member Connie Lawn's silver salver and plaque presented to her by the New Zealand National Press Club as a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The salver and plaque are now on display in the glass case as you enter the National Press Club, a reminder of Connie's impact on journalism during her decades covering the White House.

As our sister club in Wellington noted, “Miss Lawn was for a generation the Washington reporter for Radio New Zealand, a tour of duty featured in her autobiography, 'You Wake Me Each Morning.'”

The Honorable Steve Maharey, the minister of Broadcasting, presented Connie with the lifetime award in 2006 at a ceremony in New Zealand's Parliament. In 2012, Connie was named an Honorary Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II.

During her career, Connie reported for news outlets in 14 different countries and covered the White House since 1968, making her the longest journalists covering U.S. presidents after Helen Thomas.

For more details click here - the story and pictures are posted in the right-hand column.