Fitzwater engages student reporters

by Emily Houston

Presidency and the Press

On the last full day of The Presidency and the Press Conference, students interviewed former White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater, and each took away something different.

Prior to the interviews Fitzwater talked about his former job and gave the reporters some background on himself.  He talked about his influence in the White House during President Ronald Reagan and President George H. W. Bush’s administrations while also including anecdotes from the job.  One of the comments Fitzwater made that resonated with Adam Haidari was that “when he was talking about his two heroes [Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams] and they recognized him.”

The first people to talk with Fitzwater were Laurel Kolacny and Bea Brittan.  Both girls traveled to New Hampshire for this Conference from Fitzwater’s’ hometown of Abilene, Kansas.

Brittan was first to interview him and she said one of the most important lessons she took away from the conference was “that no matter where you come from if you have the passion, the drive and the courage to do it, you can.”  Kolacny said the most important thing she learned was, “that he was involved with really important things and he was grateful for where he came from and everything that happened to him.”

A group of five students from Londonderry High School were placed together to interview Fitzwater and one of the group members Kyle Maley said, “The best part about today was getting to meet and interact with a governmental figure as esteemed as Marlin Fitzwater.  He really put his heart into what he talked about and you could tell.  It was an honor talking to him.”

Sammy Vivian, another member of Londonderry, said one of the important things she learned from Fitzwater was that “in journalism you should find a subject you feel passionate about and stick with that.”

Another student reporter was Haley Nisbet of Dartmouth, Massachusetts and she said one of the motivational things Fitzwater said that she is going to take with her in the future is “when he went to Washington [D.C.] and that they told him, this is where you end up and not where you start and he said no, I’m staying.”