This Week in National Press Club History: Prince Albert, Woody Hayes, Jesse Jackson speak at luncheons

NOV. 30, 2009: Albert Grimaldi, otherwise known as His Serene Highness Prince Albert ll of Monaco, the second smallest country in the world after the Vatican, appears at a sold-out National Press Club luncheon and focuses on the mission of his three-year-old foundation, “fighting the effects of climate change, striving to promote biodiversity, and preserving water resources. It is the greatest challenge of our time, protecting the planet . . . our survival ultimately is at stake.” He chooses “Rear Window” as his favorite movie starring Grace Kelly, his mother.

DEC. 2, 1963: Woody Hayes, coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team for over 20 years during a period of intense rivalry with the University of Michigan Wolverines, speaks at a National Press Club luncheon.

DEC. 2, 1987: Jesse Jackson, founder of the Rainbow/PUSH organization, speaks to a National Press Club luncheon during his second race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Just back from a fact-finding mission to the Middle East, Jackson outlines his positions on the United States’ role on the Iran-Iraq War.

DEC. 5, 1984: Helen Thomas of UPI is the first woman journalist to receive the National Press Club’s Fourth Estate Award. She is followed in future years by Flora Lewis of The New York Times (1985), Mary McGrory of The Washington Post (1998), Christiane Amanpour of CNN (2008), Andrea Mitchell of NBC News ( 2013) and Gwen Ifill of the PBS NewsHour (2015).

This Week In National Press Club History is sponsored by the History & Heritage Committee, which actively works to preserve and revitalize the Club’s history through lobby displays, oral histories, panel discussions and special events. To learn more about the Committee’s activities, or to join it, contact Chair Gilbert Klein at [email protected].