The Rev. Robert F. Griffin, C.S.C., Award - 2019: Gary Paul Gates ’57

2019: Gary Paul Gates ’57

With this award, Gary Paul Gates ’57 is recognized for his accomplished career as a journalist.

A week after graduating, he went to work for United Press International. After that—and a brief foray in freelance magazine writing—he responded to the siren song of television. He signed on to CBS News in the fall of 1969, where he scripted broadcasts anchored by Walter Cronkite, Harry Reasoner, Mike Wallace, Roger Mudd, and Dan Rather, among others.

In 1973, he left to work with Dan Rather on The Palace Guard, a New York Times Best Seller on the inner workings of the Nixon White House. Other books followed, including Air Time – The Inside Story of CBS News; Close Encounters, a biographical collaboration with Mike Wallace; and The Acting President with Bob Schieffer on the Reagan White House. Gates also took on TV assignments, including writing and producing for ABC News, CBS Sports, and ESPN.

Late in his career, Gates helped launch the official website for CBS News and wrote about politics until the spring of 2001. His most recent endeavor has been a column for his local newspaper, The Shelter Island Reporter.

"During my four years at Notre Dame, I took for granted the intellectual and moral values that permeate a student’s life here. As the years passed, and as I moved through the raucous, hurly-burly world of American journalism, I came to appreciate—and rely on—those values more than I ever imagined I would. This award celebrates that journey and I accept it with deep gratitude."