USC Annenberg remembers Art Buchwald

Faculty, students and friends at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism are mourning Art Buchwald, who passed away this week in Washington, D.C.

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Buchwald shares a laugh with Kyra Phillips '90 at the 2004 School of Journalism commencement ceremony



Buchwald studied journalism at USC in the late 1940s and was a columnist for The Daily Trojan. Over the years, he was a frequent visitor to campus and established the Art Buchwald Scholarship in the mid 1980s. The Buchwald Scholarship is awarded annually on April 1 to a student selected for humor writing. According to Buchwald, the winning student "should be anti-establishment and contemptuous of the scholarship he or she is receiving ... If the person is on probation for something that he or she wrote, that should be considered a plus."

“Art Buchwald was a dear friend and a tremendous supporter of students at the USC Annenberg School,” Dean Geoffrey Cowan said. “He was an exceptional journalist whose insight into national and international affairs was both illuminating and entertaining. During my several visits with him over the past year, he was always surrounded by friends, celebrating every day of his miraculous life. He even used his unique situation to make a “last wish” to get two students admitted to USC. His work, his wit and his life serves as a great inspiration that will remain with us for generations to come.”

The University of Southern California honored Buchwald with an honorary doctorate in 1993. The USC Annenberg School is planning a tribute to Buchwald and will release details when plans are finalized.

Art Buchwald at USC:
"USC to celebrate memory of Art Buchwald", March 23, 2007
"The Creative Process and Mental Health", April 14, 2003
"The Wit and Wisdom of Art Buchwald", October 30, 2001

Kyra Philips (B.A. Broadcast Journalism, 1990) remembers Art Buchwald on CNN (CNN video)