Brokaw Accepts Rose Parade Honor by Satellite

Not even the venerable Tournament of Roses can escape the effects of the disputed presidential election that has transfixed the nation.

For the first time in 112 years, the newly announced grand marshal of the Rose Parade accepted the title Friday via live satellite.

Tom Brokaw, “NBC Nightly News” anchor, appeared on a giant TV screen at the Tournament House in Pasadena moments after he finished broadcasting the latest details of the presidential race.

Brokaw’s 82-year-old mother, Jean, dressed in a vibrant red suit, took the stage to present her son to the crowd.

“Hi, Mother, I think you’re dressed in appropriate colors today,” said a smiling Brokaw, speaking from NBC studios in New York. Against a backdrop of red roses, he said he was particularly happy to have been chosen to represent this year’s parade theme, “Fabric of America.”

“The fabric of America means there are people who . . . meld together to make the country greater than the sum of its parts,” Brokaw said.

Though most widely recognized for his network anchoring, Brokaw has also written two books that have become best sellers in the last two years, “The Greatest Generation” and “The Greatest Generation Speaks.” The books, about the generation of Americans born in the 1920s and raised during the Great Depression, epitomize the parade theme, said Tournament of Roses President Lorne Brown.

“He has watched the American scene and reports on it with a great deal of integrity,” said Brown, explaining why Brokaw was chosen.

A native of South Dakota, Brokaw began his career as a journalist soon after he graduated from the University of South Dokata in 1962. He first anchored the evening news in Atlanta and by 1966 had joined NBC. For seven years, Brokaw worked for KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, then in 1973 he became NBC’s White House correspondent.

Brokaw garnered his reputation as a top political reporter by covering every presidential election since 1968 and being the first U.S. journalist to interview Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev one on one. The newsman has covered events including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Oklahoma City bombing.

For his accomplishments, Brokaw has received a Peabody Award, several Emmys and a number of honorary university degrees. He has written for publications including the New York Times, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek.

As a former California resident, Brokaw is aware of the historic Pasadena tradition. He said he is looking forward to attending the parade with his entire family, just as soon as arrangements can be made to get a president elected.

Grand Marshals,

Past and Present

2001: Tom Brokaw

2000: Roy E. Disney

1999: Buzz Aldrin, Shirley Temple Black, Jackie Robinson (posthumously), David L. Wolper

1998: Carol Burnett

1997: Carl Lewis, Shannon Miller

1996: Kermit the Frog

1995: Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez

1994: William Shatner

1993: Angela Lansbury

1992: Cristobol Colon (descendant of Christopher Columbus), Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Colo.)

1991: Bob Newhart

1990: Sen. John Glenn (Ohio)