ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff and his wife, Lee Woodruff, will be on campus Tuesday, March 4 to participate in the Turner Construction Student Forum and to deliver the Jones Day Lecture as part of the Tate Lecture Series.
Woodruff is an American television journalist for ABC News and former co-anchor of “ABC World News.” Woodruff has reported on a number of events such as Sen. John Edward’s campaign for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, the death of Pope John Paul II, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Hurricane Katrina and the 2006 Palestinian elections.
Woodruff is best known for being the first American news anchor to be wounded in a war zone while traveling with the U.S. 4th Infantry Division just north of Baghdad when they hit a roadside bomb. Woodruff was severely injured by shrapnel from the blast and sustained a serious head injury, requiring a portion of his skull to be removed to help prevent damage from brain swelling.
In 2006, Woodruff was honored with the David Bloom award for excellence for his reporting on North Korea and Iran. Woodruff was not able to accept the award in person because he was still recovering from the injuries he received in Iraq.
In February 2007, Woodruff and his wife released a book dealing with the effect the roadside bomb in Iraq and the resulting injuries had on their family. The book is titled “In an Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love and Healing.” A percentage of the book’s proceeds are donated to the Bob Woodruff Family Fund, which helps provide financial help to soldiers who suffer traumatic brain injuries while on combat duty.
The Turner Construction Student Forum with Bob and Lee Woodruff will be at 4:30 p.m. in the ballroom of the Hughes-Trigg Student Center. Tickets, which are free and required for this event, are currently available for students, faculty and staff at the Mane Desk in Hughes-Trigg. Tickets are limited to one per SMU ID and are provided on a first come, first served basis.
For the evening lecture, students should come to the basement of McFarlin Auditorium with their SMU IDs at 7. Backpacks are prohibited. Because the evening lecture is sold out, there are no faculty or staff tickets available for the lecture.
