Terry Gross Discusses Prolific Career During Marcon Lecture

Terry Gross Discusses Prolific Career During Marcon Lecture

Terry Gross has always preferred listening to talking.

The longtime public radio host has honed her listening skills over nearly five decades and through thousands of interviews.

"Listening is not as easy as you would think," Gross said. "You have to listen really carefully, and as you're listening, your brain is divided in half. It's so easy to get distracted and for your mind to start wandering."

Gross discussed her prolific career during the 33rd Frank L. Marcon Lecture in Billera Hall on Oct. 10. Father Kevin Nadolski, OSFS, Ph.D., chief of staff and vice president for mission, moderated the wide-ranging conversation.

He began by noting the art of humanity in Gross' interviewing style and the signature line that greets her guests.

"Tell me about yourself-it's a groundbreaker that's neutral. I don't risk making them uncomfortable."

Terry Gross, host of "Fresh Air"

For almost 50 years, Gross has hosted public radio's "Fresh Air," a nationally syndicated radio program originally created at WHYY-FM in Wilmington, Delaware. The program is broadcast on nearly 600 stations and became the first non-drivetime show in public radio history to reach more than five million listeners a week.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Gross received a bachelor's degree in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo. During her time in college, she began listening to the public radio station on her campus and eventually became a volunteer.

After graduating, Gross initially began her career as a teacher at an intercity school in Buffalo. But she ended up being fired after just six weeks.

"I was trying to be myself," she said. "The kids needed an authority figure in their life-part mother and father and part somebody who could draw the line for them. I was the wrong person for them."

The experience taught Gross that failure often leads to a better course. And she credits her English classes with teaching her the values of empathy and rigorous preparation-two things that have served her well in public radio.

Gross also emphasized finding commonalities and connections with others, and having a sense of compassion, especially in her line of work.

"I think compassion is a great feeling to have when you're interviewing someone," she said. "You have to put yourself in their shoes. You want to try to understand how they think and why they do what they do. To cut to the heart of their public self."

In 2022, "Fresh Air with Terry Gross" was awarded the Peabody Institutional Award "for their enduring body of work and their iconic impact on both the media landscape and the public imagination."

Gross has received a Gracie Award for Outstanding Radio Personality from American Women in Radio and Television, and the Edward R. Murrow Award for her "outstanding contributions to public radio." In 2023, she was named the PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion, an award presented by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation.

The Marcon Lecture series is named in memory of Frank L. Marcon, a prominent area businessman who served as a DeSales University trustee from 1966 until his death in 1982.

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