Woman of the Hour
NST University Club welcomes “60 Minutes” Journalist Lesley Stahl
BY GLORIA BECK
Event photos by Dawn Steinberg
On May 26, the University
Club had its “best guest
speaker ever,” “60
Minutes” correspondent, Lesley
Stahl. Club President Shirley
Wershba introduced her longtime
friend and colleague, starting with
Ms. Stahl’s initiation to the media
world at CBS, where her prominence
grew when she covered the
news of the Watergate Affair. She
then went on to make her mark
as a White House correspondent
during the presidencies of Jimmy
Carter, Ronald Reagan and George
H. Bush.
Though Stahl at various times
through her illustrious career
has been a producer, reporter,
correspondent and TV journalist,
interviewing many heads of state,
the role she claims was the most
transformative was that of becoming
a grandmother. I think we all
know the indescribable feeling
when that moment arrives. It’s a
magical occasion for any woman
anytime, anywhere. Stahl describes
her joy in becoming a grandma
in her recently published book,
“Becoming Grandma: The joys and
science of the new Grandparent.”
Stahl feels as though she physically
craves her grandchildren,
describing it as a physiological
phenomenon, where circuits in
the brain follow the same wires and
routes as when you fall in love with
a man, thus creating a similar loving
bond. “If God had asked Abraham
to sacrifice his grandson he would
never have done it,” she quipped.
“This generation of grand parenting
is different from those of the
past. We are the first generation
to have healthy longevity. We’re
younger, wealthier and generally
more involved. Grand parenting
now makes growing old even better.
We live an average of thirty years
after retirement and need to have a
plan in place when we retire.
“Grandmothers today have
degrees,” Stahl continued. “We’re
corporate executives, lawyers and
even run for President. Society
accepts grandparents are involved.
When seeing someone gray and
more mature with a child, one
assumes it’s a grandparent. To
reinforce the point, she told a story
about a gray-haired man, wheeling
a stroller. A person admiring the
child asks, “Grandpa?” The man
replies, “No. Daddy.”
“When grandparents are in the
lives of their grandchildren, they
get adoring, unconditional love and
the parents get free child care.” It’s
a win-win situation. “With our own
kids, we had a lot of responsibilities
in guiding them through life, sometimes
involving parameters of do’s
and don’ts, whereas as a grandparent
our love is totally unfettered and
what they get from us is the feeling
they are perfect. We offer stability,
which is an important step in life.”
Stahl explained in today’s
economy, it’s not uncommon for
today’s young moms and dads to
need their parents for childcare and
financial help. It costs a fortune
for schooling and medical care.
Childcare can cost as much as college
tuition. Today’s statistics show
sixty- and seventy-year-olds have
more money than forty- and fiftyyear
olds, which is not the norm
of the recent past. Recession and
job loss account for this situation,
and grandparents become the piggy
bank. Unfortunately, some grandparents
have gone into debt to pay
off their children’s loans.
During her talk, Stahl quoted the
dean of the University of Southern
California School of Gerontology,
“There are three stages of life. In
the first stage, you believe in Santa
Claus. In the second stage, you
don’t believe in Santa Claus. In the
third stage, you are Santa Claus.”
(This writer thinks that sounds true.
I hope it’s not why my little ones’
eyes light up when they see me. I
thought it was love.)
Stahl amusingly talked about
what she wanted her grandchildren
to call her. Most women are called
“grandma,” but she wanted something
less traditional. Her mother’s
name was Dolly, so she picked the
name “Lolly.” It wasn’t until she
discovered “LOL”—which many
Internet users use as an abbreviation
for “Laughing Out Loud”—
was also used by physicians as an
abbreviation for “Little Old Ladies,”
she entertained some reservations
about using it. Her husband wanted
the name “Pop,” so together they’re
“Lollipop.”
This year is the 50th anniversary
of “60 Minutes.” Stahl joined the
show in 1991 and spent more than
half of the lifetime of the show with
them. She explained interviews
sometimes take many hours, and
then through editing, the segment
is filtered down to 15 minutes. She
emphasized to get the most out an
interview, it’s important to remain
focused on the answers you want
to get, no matter how long it takes
Stahl reports to the University
Club
to get there.
After the show’s summer hiatus,
Stahl has prepared stories about a
bookstore in Nashville, where traditional
books are making a revival;
how wild animals at a Copenhagen
zoo now must be inbred because of
restrictions on their capture; and
how a vibrant Jewish community
in Iraq is almost totally gone and
Christians are now being forced out.
During a lively Q and A period
following the presentation, Stahl
was asked who she would’ve liked
to have interviewed had she the
opportunity. The answer was Nancy
Reagan, because of the theory Ms.
Reagan had more influence in the
decision making of the government
than she wanted anyone to know,
due to husband Ronnie’s decline
in health.
Asked about what she hopes for
her grandchildren, Stahl’s response
was immediate: to rid ourselves
of the over-usage of iPhones and
the Internet, which has invaded
our privacy. Children don’t play
outside; they play with tech toys,
changing the nature of friendship.
Becoming Grandma
A candid moment after the presentation
12 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ July 2017