Getting Real
Page 24
I wore my prom dress and won Miss T.E.E.N. Minnesota. Later, I was first runner-up at the nationals.
The violin was my secret weapon in winning Miss America.
|Courtesy of the Miss America Organization
The moments after being crowned Miss America were a blur. Here I am beginning the famous walk.
|Courtesy of the Miss America Organization
Eva Gabor, a judge at the pageant, told me I could have been her daughter. She took me shopping on Rodeo Drive in her fancy car.
As Miss America I was privileged to meet President Reagan at the White House.
|The White House
My wedding day, October 4, 1997, was perfect in every way.
|Joan Buccina, Buccina Studios
My precious children, Kaia and Christian. Kaia was delighted to be a big sister.
My last public violin performance at a Texas Rangers game while working at KXAS in Dallas. That’s Casey in the background.
|Texas Rangers Baseball Club
I had a front-row seat for Fox at the royal wedding, when Kate Middleton made her entrance.
A first for cable news. I went on air without makeup to present a positive role model for young girls.
My parents continue to attend the Miss America pageant with me every year. I love being on the Miss America Organization board and sharing this experience with them.
Fox & Friends, my home for seven years, in the middle between Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade.
|Courtesy of Fox News Channel
On the set of my show, The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson.
Support for the troops is an important issue for me.
|Courtesy of Fox News Channel
Dogsledding in Alaska: a memorable experience, definitely outside our family’s comfort zone, but worth it!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
At every time of my life I have been able to follow my dreams and achieve my goals because people believed in me. My parents raised me with values, love, and a religious foundation. They also taught me the importance of giving back and making the most of my God-given talents. Mom, thank you for instilling in me the drive and perseverance to push ahead no matter what, and for telling me I could be anything I wanted to be. You are my best friend and confidante, and I love you more than you will ever know. (Thank you, as well, for having the dedication to create the twenty scrapbooks of my life that helped so much in putting together this book!) Dad, you are an amazing man. I have always been so proud to call you my father. I adore you more than you will ever know—for your humility, your humor, and your huge heart. I have truly been blessed.
Because of the loving support of my parents and grandparents, I had the confidence to study the violin at age six. It never occurred to me that I couldn’t do it. Thanks to the tremendous guidance and training from Ken Davenport, Jeanette Simmons, Mary West, Thelma Johnson, Dorothy DeLay, Lea Foli, Cliff Brunzell, Dr. Henry Charles Smith, Dr. William Jones, and others, I was given the gift of music that has stayed with me all of my life. A special thank-you to my friend and world-class pianist Randall Atcheson for also teaching my children the miracle of music.
Being Miss America was an important achievement—and I couldn’t have done it without the violin. I am grateful to the organization for inspiring young women to be the best they can be and am proud to serve on the board of directors. In particular, I want to thank Sam Haskell; Sharon Pearce; Leonard Horn; members of the board; the first Miss America, Margaret Gorman (1921) for being just five foot one; the entire Miss America sisterhood; Miss America volunteers everywhere; my travel companions, the late Ellie Ross and the late Anita Puhala; Mike Tracy; Kathleen Munson; Stephen Yearick; my Miss America hostesses, Carol Adams and the late Marge Howell; my Miss Minnesota host family, Faye and Lowell Anderson; my Miss Cottage Grove pageant directors, the late Sue Bargsten and Ron Bargsten; my fellow Minnesota Miss Americas, Dorothy Benham and BeBe Shopp; and the wonderful volunteers for Miss Cottage Grove and Miss Minnesota. I’d also like to thank the Brandes family for introducing me to the Miss T.E.E.N. program, showing me I could use my violin talent to achieve a new kind of goal.
In my career as a television journalist I owe a lot to the mentors who have reached out to me and the colleagues who have helped me and made my work better along the way: at WRIC-TV in Richmond, WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, WOIO-TV in Cleveland, KXAS-TV in Dallas, CBS News in New York, and of course Fox News. In particular, I want to express my gratitude to Jody Lomenzo, for pointing me in the direction of a career in television news, and to my former bosses, all of whom inspired me in their own unique ways: Wayne Lynch, Joyce Reed, Jim Zarchin, Greg Caputo, Kim Godwin-Webb, Joe Duke, Bill Mondora, Steve Friedman, Michael Bass, Pat Shevlin, Marcy McGinnis, and Andrew Heyward. A big thank-you to all of my former co-anchors, producers, and camerapersons, especially cameraman Steve Stewart in Dallas, my CBS Saturday Early Show co-anchor Russ Mitchell, and CBS producer Carrie Rabin Aber.
Special thanks to Fox News CEO and chairman of the board Roger Ailes for continuing to believe in me and giving me the opportunity to do what I love every day; Executive Vice President of Programming Bill Shine; Vice President of Programming Suzanne Scott; Executive Vice President of News Michael Clemente; Vice President of News Jay Wallace; Executive Vice President Legal and Business Affairs Dianne Brandi; the entire Fox & Friends crew and producers, as well as hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade; The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson crew and producers, including Executive Producer Jennifer Williams and Producer Kenneth Tucker; Bill O’Reilly for giving me the platform to be a culture warrior; Greta Van Susteren for inspiring me with her incredibly hard-work ethic; Bill Hemmer for twenty-five years of friendship; and everyone else at Fox—on and off the air. Thanks as well to the fantastic Fox News hair and makeup teams past and present, including Maureen Walsh, Jeisohn Fiala, Anita Torres, Erica Colon, and Daniela Zivkovic. Thanks to my amazing assistant, Linda Haviv, and to my agent, Sharon Chang, for her years of guidance and support. I also remain thankful to the women who have inspired me in television news, especially Diane Sawyer, Kathie Lee Gifford, Deborah Norville, and Barbara Walters.
I couldn’t do what I do without the support of my wonderful friends—specifically my sister, Kris Carlson-Germain, and Molly Kinney-Leonhardt—as well as my many friendships, which span the country, especially my friends in Greenwich, Connecticut, and New York City. Thank you to the community of Anoka, Minnesota, and to all of the people at Zion Lutheran Church in Anoka and First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich. I am also grateful to my teachers, especially Jack Nabedrick, for giving me my motto in life: Carpe diem! A special thanks to Dr. Francine Blei, the hemangioma doctor who helped bring my family through a very difficult period. And to my wonderful nanny, Tara Santos, for dedicating the last seven years to taking such great care of my kids.
Like every other area of my life, I’ve found that writing a book involves the efforts of many people. I am deeply grateful for all those who believed in me and my message: my brilliant and caring literary agent Bob Barnett, the devoted Viking publisher Clare Ferraro, and my wonderful and insightful editor, Carolyn Carlson. I am also appreciative of others who made this process work, especially Catherine Whitney, who spent countless hours helping me get it all together, sharing her wisdom and writing expertise, and most importantly becoming a great and trusted friend.
Finally, I am thankful every day for Casey, Kaia, and Christian, who fill my days with the only things that really matter—love, laughter, and meaning.
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