Legendary journalist and broadcasting personality Barbara Walters, who died in New York City on Dec. 30 at age 93, had long-term ties to Westchester through Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, which she attended and remained associated with as an alumni.
In 2015, Walters made what was at the time the largest donation in the college”™s history. Her $15 million gift was put toward the construction of a state of the art campus center, named in her honor.
“Today, the Barbara Walters Campus Center is the heart of the college’s campus and a true center for students, faculty, and staff to connect and create,” the college said in a statement.
“Walters tenaciously served as the eyes and ears of a generation, holding the powerful accountable and asking questions the country wanted answered ”” always digging deeper,” the college said. “From presidents and world leaders to celebrities and controversial public figures, Walters was fastidious in her pursuit to be their first major interview, a pursuit, paired with inquisitive and delicate questioning, that became a hallmark of her unparalleled career in a field previously dominated by men.”
Sarah Lawrence in its tribute recalled that in a 2001 commencement address on campus, Walters told the graduating class, “At Sarah Lawrence I learned to ask questions ”¦ I attribute my success, in many ways, to the curiosity and confidence I came away with from this remarkable college.”
Walter’s 2015 gift for the campus center was not the only financial support Walters had shown for the college. She was a longtime supporter of student scholarships. In 2005 she donated the funds for an art gallery in her name, and in 2014, announced she would donate her personal archives to her alma mater.
Sarah Lawrence President Cristle Collins Judd said, “Barbara represented so beautifully the qualities of a Sarah Lawrence education ”” a passion for asking questions, examining issues from multiple angles, and seeking to embody our motto, ”˜wisdom with understanding”™. Through her thought-provoking questions and unique style, Barbara reinvented the identity of broadcast journalism. Her name adorns our campus center and we are proud to serve as the repository of her archives. We will cherish her memory and know that the students who follow in her footsteps would fill her with pride.”
