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Terry Gross at her microphone in 2018

Terry Gross

Terry Gross is the host and an executive producer of Fresh Air, the daily program of interviews and reviews. It is produced at WHYY in Philadelphia, where Gross began hosting the show in 1975, when it was broadcast only locally. She was awarded a National Humanities Medal from President Obama in 2016. Fresh Air with Terry Gross received a Peabody Award in 1994 for its “probing questions, revelatory interviews and unusual insight.” America Women in Radio and Television presented her with a Gracie Award in 1999 in the category of National Network Radio Personality. In 2003, she received the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Edward R. Murrow Award for her “outstanding contributions to public radio” and for advancing the “growth, quality and positive image of radio.” Gross is the author of All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians and Artists, published by Hyperion in 2004. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and received a bachelor’s degree in English and M.Ed. in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She began her radio career in 1973 at public radio station WBFO in Buffalo, NY.

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15:09

"The Mothers of the Gay Rights Movement" on Discovering Their Identity

Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon are the founders of the Daughters of Bilitis, an early lesbian organization. They started the group in the 1950s before the rise of the gay liberation movement. Shortly after, they began publishing "The Ladder," the first Lesbian-themed magazine. Their landmark book, "Lesbian/Woman," published in 1972 has been updated. The two have also been a couple for 39 years.

17:46

Civil Rights Leader Andrew Young Remembers His Days in the Movement

Young talks with Terry Gross about his new book "An Easy Burden: The Civil Rights Movement and the Transformation of America." He served as Executive Director of Southern Christian Leadership Conference where he worked with Martin Luther King Jr. In 1972, he was elected to Congress. In 1977, President Carter named Young as Ambassador to the United Nations. He also served two terms as the Mayor of Atlanta.

Interview
16:03

Women's Place in the Early Church and Today

Jo Ann Kay McNamara talks with Terry Gross about her book "Sisters In Arms: Catholic Nuns Through Two Millennia." It is published by Harvard University Press. McNamara is a Professor of History at Hunter College and at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Interview
21:52

Remembering an Early DJ Who Broke Racial Boundaries

Music artist Jim Dickinson talks about his friend and legendary Memphis deejay, Dewey Philips. Philips is best known as the first person to play Elvis Presley on the air. He also pushed the racial barriers of the time by playing a mix of music by black and white artists.

Interview
35:52

Neurosurgeon Dr. Jam Gharjar on Treating Brain Trauma

With his team of neurotrauma specialists, Dr. Ghajar worked to save the life of the young piano teacher who was severely beaten in Central Park this past June. He has pioneered national guidelines in hopes of establishing national standards for the care of brain trauma patients. Ghajar is the chief neurosurgeon at Jamaica Hospital in Queens as well as the President of the Aitken Neuroscience Institute in Manhattan.

Interview
14:52

Modern Jazz Composer Phillip Johnston

Johnston is best known for his work with the Microscopic Septet from 1980 to 1992. His latest band, Big Trouble, has just released the album, "Flood At The Ant Farm." He has a reputation as one of contemporary music's most versatile composers. In addition to playing the saxophone, Johnston has a growing interest in scoring music for film, T.V., and radio programs. He has written the theme music for "Fresh Air." He has also written music for other NPR programs, MTV, and Comedy Central.

Interview
21:14

A. S. Byatt on How Language Can Divide Us

Byatt is known by many Americans for "Possession," a Booker Prize-winning Victorian novel published here in 1990. Her most recent novel is "Babel Tower." Set in the turbulent 1960s, the book is about Frederica, a young woman involved in a divorce and custody suit, as well as the prosecution of an "obscene" book. "Babel Tower" is the third book in a planned quartet of novels set in different mid-century time frames. (Originally aired 6/6/96)

Interview

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