CNN anchor Anderson Cooper joined a prestigious line-up of alumni journalists from the School of Media and Communication as honorees at the 2012 Lew Klein Alumni in the Media Awards yesterday. 

Held in Mitten Hall, the awards ceremony was marked by an outpouring of affection for Temple, the School of Media and Communication and beloved mentor and award namesake Lew Klein. Amy Caples ’85, assistant professor of media studies and production at Temple and a former anchor and reporter at CBS3/KYW Newsradio, expressed that sentiment in her remarks after being introduced as a recipient of the award.

"I am so proud to be a graduate of Temple University," she said. "I am so honored to be one of the legion of graduates from the School of Media and Communication. And I am so honored and humbled to have my very own 'Lewie' this year. Because, for me, it is truly a major award."

Other leading professionals returning to Temple to accept Alumni in the Media Awards were: 

• Fred Bauer ’64, producer, director and writer.
• Clark DeLeon ’72, columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Kenn Venit ’66, ’68, adjunct associate professor, Quinnipiac University, and adjunct instructor, Southern Connecticut State University.
• Richard R. Weiss Jr. ’69, sportswriter and columnist, New York Daily News
• Dyana Williams ’97, on-air personality, 100.3 WRNB-FM Radio One.
   

And, winning the prize for the farthest distance traveled to attend the award ceremony was Jian Wang ’08, the first recipient of the new Rising Star Award. He is the vice director of the Daytime News Department for Sound of China, China National Radio.

After receiving the Excellence in the Media Award, CNN's Cooper offered a peek into his life as a journalist during an hour-long Q&A session held in Tomlinson Theater. He balanced stories of covering the revolution in Egypt and rape victims in the Congo with references to both Lady Gaga and Honey Boo Boo, offering a full perspective on what fills his 16 hour work days.

The storied journalist told the students they should always “outhustle everyone around you no matter what job you have.” He said he landed his first anchor job at CNN because he was always available to fill in for people when they were out of the office.

“That’s why I don’t take vacations now, because there are a bunch of schmucks waiting for my job,” he joked.