NPR's Terry Gross To Be Honored At TWH

Terry Gross

President Obama will honor 24 individuals and organizations next week for works that he says have helped Americans connect and understand each other a little better through the arts and humanities. Among them: Philly radio legend and "Fresh Air" host Terry Gross.

Besides Gross, the honorees to be celebrated at the White House on Sept. 22 will include actors Morgan Freeman and Mel Brooks, as well as author and former Inquirer contributor James McBride.

Gross, 65, a Brooklyn native, was chosen "for her artful probing of the human experience," according to the citation that will be read at the ceremony. "Her patient, persistent questioning in thousands of interviews over four decades has pushed public figures to reveal personal motivations behind extraordinary lives — revealing simple truths that affirm our common humanity."

For more than 40 years, Gross has presided over WHYY's weekday afternoon talk-and-commentary show "Fresh Air",  which reaches a national audience through syndication on NPR. The show is anchored by Gross' chats with A-listers from the arts, show business, journalism, business and politics.