Succinct, heartfelt speech by broadcasting legend highlights Club year

A succinct, heartfelt speech by broadcasting legend Richard Hottelet at the National Press Club Awards dinner in August, former GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain's October luncheon the day after a story broke about alleged sexual harassment and the Club's hosting of the first World Press Freedom Day held in the United States highlighted the Club's year, according to a blog post by Club President Mark Hamrick.

Hottelet is the last surviving member of the "Murrow Boys" of CBS News, who gained acclaim for their coverage of World War II under the leadership of Edward R. Murrow.

Hottelet received the presidential citation at the Club Awards night. Following a multimedia presentation that included audio of his World War II broadcasts and imagery from the Battle of the Bulge and the invasion of Normandy, Hottelet accepted his trophy and made perhaps the shortest speech in Club history.

"I just have one thing to say: I tried," Hottelet told the packed ballroom, drawing his second standing ovation of the evening, as he made his way back to his seat after spending about two minutes at the podium.

"Everyone in the room seemed to love it," Hamrick wrote. "It was a lesson in speech-making that many of us should emulate."

The full blog post can be found on the Club homepage in the From the President's Desk section.