But not everyone sees it that way. His book, and Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball, was Barnes and Noble's Sports Book of the Year. (She had been an intern at NPR in the early 1990's, when Mr. Simon was away covering the Persian Gulf war.) "Jia-Mei Simon" was imprinted along the bottom, like the name under a photo in a class yearbook. We told him that our daughter seemed inconsolable. I have been with the place long enough to understand why all those great talents sometimes grimace to be told, "I've listened to you since I was in the backseat of my parents' car.". We checked cameras and cell phones. And his kids are in their 40s. Send tips and pie recipes: carolinesimon@cqrollcall.com. Scott received the Order of Lincoln from the State of Illinois in 2016, the state's highest honor. We told him that our daughter seemed inconsolable. "And what do you do? NJ wants 'fairness' over 'sameness' in education. We opened the network's first bureau in a war zone El Salvador, in 1982. His hobbies are books . Scott Simon is one of Americas most admired writers and broadcasters. He also hosts public television specials and does stories for CBS Sunday Morning. Do you know that little Indian place just off Thirty-second? Simon has hosted many television specials, including the PBS's "State of Mind," "Voices of Vision," and "Need to Know." Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other, an essay about the joys of adoption, was published in August 2010. Windy City, Simon's second novel, is a political comedy set in the Chicago City Council. We laid those small clothes aside to keep for the ages. Each layer smelled of coal smoke and pee. Pouty little mouth, tiny, endearing little downy baby duck's head, fuzzy patch of hair, and amazed eyebrows, crying, steaming, red-faced, and bundled into a small, puffy pink coat. He adds, "If you prick me, I'll bleed Chicago Cubs blue.". Simon's tweets to his 1.25 million Twitter followers from his mother's bedside in the summer of 2013 gathered major media attention around the world. I tried to point a video camera, snap pictures, roll audio, and hug them, all at the same time. January 14, 2023 NPR's Scott Simon asks De'Shawn Charles Winslow about his new novel "Decent People," which is set in the same fictional North Carolina town as his widely praised debut. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. January 14, 2023 The NFL playoffs kick off today; the Australian Open opens tomorrow; and the Olympic figure skating doping scandal continues. Looking back, the transition is very quick. Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters, having reported from all over the world and many wars. His new memoir, "Life on Delay," details his struggle with stuttering. I first heard of National Public Radio when it broadcast the Senate . So why did you go overseas? I mean that it is, as the dictionary says, "a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of divine agency.". Book's We Love returns with 400+ new titles handpicked by NPR staff and trusted critics. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. In a state notorious for rough and tumble politics, Jesse White has had lasting appeal. At some point, after all the intimate injections and intrusions, and the hopes that rise and deflate, many spouses look at each other across a field of figures scratched on the back of an envelope and ask, "Why are we doing this? They smiled back wanly. I don't remember what we ate. A mustard-colored crocheted sweater. But most of all, I've gotten to share the stories of thousands of people who opened their lives to us. His hobbies are books, theater, ballet, British comedy, Mexican cooking, and "bleeding for the Chicago Cubs." January 14, 2023 NPR's Scott Simon talks with writer John Hendrickson. Tomorrow, the Silk Museumand Gift Shop! He's using his platform to galvanize investments in clean energy, but is also backing fossil fuels. "We learn from hurts in life, don't we? Possible wind farm could power more than 700,000 homes. Before I met her, I'd hardly been lonely, but this was the first time I'd been hit over the head by a two-by-four. ''She's the brilliant one,'' said Muriel Price, one of Ms. Richard's sisters. It wasn't until later in life that Martin finally met his biological mother and discovered he wasn't Native American at all. Our little girl's tears fell like soft, fat, furious little jewels down her face. His hobbies are books, theater, ballet, British comedy, and Mexican cooking and bleeding for the Chicago Cubs. He has thrown out the first pitch at Wrigley Field (low and outside) and appeared as Mother Ginger in the Ballet Austin production of The Nutcracker. His book, and Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball, was Barnes and Noble's Sports Book of the Year. You got the baby that was meant for [another] family and they got yours. They have two daughters, both adopted as babies from China: Elise, in 2004, and Lina, in 2007. Associated Press Top 25 men's basketball poll: Jerry Carino's ballot, SJ chef Joe Brown spills the recipes and stories in his book 'Melange', Eagles can accomplish this first against a familiar foe in playoffs, Georgia football star Devin Willock of New Milford killed in crash, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. His hobbies are books, theater, ballet, British comedy, Mexican cooking, and "bleeding for the Chicago Cubs." He has thrown out the first pitch at Wrigley Field (low and . Yet Mr. Simon's observations and questions never put you to sleep, whether he is reporting on Al Gore, a hospital in Kosovo, surfing or the death of his cat. She was five months older than in the picture we had, but still recognizably the little girl in the thumbnail portrait. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. January 7, 2023 NPR's Scott Simon speaks with conductor Marin Alsop about concerts she is conducting this weekend in Chicago, which feature exclusively works by female composers. "Get something to eat.". A tiny white T-shirt. We also know that the hardest parts are still ahead. When she met Mr. Simon, she lived in a tiny Chinatown apartment in Manhattan, furnished with a futon, flowering plants and piles of books. As we say in this business, there is more to come. Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He died this week after a long career of writing and teaching. Those clothes! I've interviewed all three. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy. You know, you hear stories. Scott Simon and his daughters Elise (right) and Lina (left) tour a temple in Nancheng, China, not long after Lina's adoption. My wife and I, not having had children in the traditional, Abraham-and-Sarah-begat manner, have learned to make jokes about the way we've had our family. Simon's tweets to his 1.25 million Twitter followers from his mother's bedside in the summer of 2013 gathered major media attention around the world. The only world they've known is behind them -- and the idea of another change just when they were getting comfortable in a world they knew, in an orphanage -- the idea of change is obviously obnoxious. forces. So much so, that his high school friends described him as part Cherokee and his father even became a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. House Republicans say they'll use the negotiations to win concessions on government spending. "How much did they cost? I first heard of National Public Radio when it broadcast the Senate hearings into the Watergate scandal live, in the summer of 1973. Our daughter looked up into Caroline's unfamiliar face without warmth or disdain; one more stranger was handling her. It was a reminder of something we do uncommonly well at Richmond. But, I am told, so does childbirth. How? "The instinct to adopt -- to take children into our lives -- is, I think, practically as old as childbirth.". She immediately became our child, and our identity with her deepened every day and deepens every day even now. . Caroline Richard Simon We looked at the other happy new families across the room. We blinked back tears and cleared our throats. Back in our hotel room, Caroline zipped, snipped, and unbuttoned four layers of Chinese clothing. . Not enough kids here?" Baby, baby, our baby. I began reporting for NPR from Chicago in the late 1970s, about crimes, corruption, blizzards, mob hits and political ferment. They inspired his New York Times bestseller book Unforgettable: A Son, a Mother, and the Lessons of a Lifetime. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. Now it was here; and we weren't ready. We bathed her. KUOW is the Puget Sound regions #1 radio station for news. It is as poignant and tender and wise as Tuesdays with Morrie, with the added virtues of being unflinching and, quite often, very funny." Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to. A tiny white T-shirt. ''That's exactly the reaction I want from my life's companion. Resides in Mc Kees Rocks, PA. Breathtaking. These resources can help, How Rutgers' Mawot Mag has grown into elite defensive player, NJ Wrestling Top 20 with big rivalry matches on the schedule, Rutgers football offseason tracker: Recruiting, coaching, transfer news & analysis, Kids with physical disabilities struggle with access to sports, Last call for liquor licenses? "We tell her, 'Your mother loved you and she wanted to take care of you for the rest of your life and she wanted to be a mother to you but she just couldn't,' " Simon says. "A sad day," sighed Julie from Utah, while the cityscape of Nanchang, China, slabs of brown and gray with wet laundry flapping, rolled by our windows. You've had an incredibly successful career how does that compare to being a long time Cubs fan and seeing them win (L-R): Caroline Richard, Scott Simon, and Library Foundation President & CEO, Rhona Frazin the World Series? Community Resources for Those Impacted by Mass Shooting, Comprehensive Coverage of the Crisis in Ukraine, Invisible Army: Caregivers on the Front Lines, If you're looking for a new read for the new year, NPR has 400+ suggestions, Turn Your Car Into The Public Radio Programs You Love, How NPR Shattered The Old Model Of Broadcast Journalism, 1A Reflects On The Last And Next 50 Years Of NPR. In his new book, Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other, Simon shares the journey -- from struggling to conceive, to deciding to adopt, to traveling halfway around the world -- that ended with him and his wife, Caroline, adopting two little girls from China. NPR broadcast its first on-air original programming 50 years ago today: May 3, 1971. Aren't they impossible? His novel, Pretty Birds, the story of two teenage girls in Sarajevo during the siege, received rave reviews, with Scott Turow calling it, "the most auspicious fiction debut by a journalist of note since Tom Wolfe's. Shigu, our trip coordinator, came by our room. Look back at the network's history through a linear timeline. Because Martin's birth certificate stated that he was Native American, that ethnicity became a large part of his identity. He is married to Caroline Richard Simon, and their daughters are Elise and Paulina. always gripping, always tender, and often painfully funny. A month before, this moment couldn't have happened fast enough. In July, she moved into his apartment at the Watergate in Washington. We told people that the look of surprise in her eyes was because she had just read our dossier and said, "I thought you said that I was going to first-rate people!". What kind of people are we?". January 14, 2023 NPR's Scott Simon speaks with ProPublica's Peter Elkind about a provision in the latest federal budget intended to end "syndicated conservation easements," a problematic tax break. [8][24], In 2006 Simon and his wife were contacted by police as part of the Alexander Litvinenko poisoning investigation. Log In or Sign Up Caroline Richard See Photos Caroline Richard See Photos Caroline Richard See Photos Caroline Richard See Photos Caroline Richard See Photos Caroline Richard See Photos Caroline Richard Simon was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of comedian Ernie Simon and actress Patricia Lyons. ", Caroline Richard Simon holds an 11-month-old Elise Simon on the day her adoption was approved by Chinese officials in Nancheng. Then the Great Wall and Gift Shop! "We just looked at each other and said, 'Why are we doing this? Simon has won every major award in broadcasting, including the Peabody, the Emmy, the Columbia-DuPont, the Ohio State Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and the Sidney Hillman Award. Please stay tuned. Flyers defenseman boycotts Pride night, cites religion. Not much of whatever it was. Join Facebook to connect with Caroline Simon and others you may know. "We'd both been in places where there are a lot of children who'd been abandoned," he tells NPR's Steve Inskeep. I've been fortunate to play a small part in NPR's growth. She was nevertheless charmed. At the age of 50, NPR has a renewed sense of purpose: to appeal to and sometimes challenge an audience that is more diverse in all ways, and help reach across some of those divides. I have been with the place long enough to understand why all those great talents sometimes grimace to be told, "I've listened to you since I was in the backseat of my parents' car.". He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. "I would like to open that door for people," he says. Scott Simon, the host of NPR's Weekend Edition, became a father for the first time at the age of 50, when he and his wife, Caroline, adopted the first of their two daughters from China. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. Do you know that little Indian place just off Thirty-second? Why would you do that? Courtesy of Scott Simon For Simon, the vignette is proof of. She was introduced to Mr. Simon, who liked her right away. He is married to Caroline Richard Simon, and their daughters are Elise and Paulina. . [27], In July 2013 Simon began tweeting his emotions and conversations with his mother during the last days of her life. Laura Hillenbrand, the author of Unbroken and Seabiscuit, called the book "poignant, funny, intimate, and unforgettable." He co-anchored PBS's "Millennium 2000" coverage in concert with the BBC, and has co-hosted the televised Columbia-DuPont Awards. I began reporting for NPR from Chicago in the late 1970s, about crimes, corruption, blizzards, mob hits and political ferment. Sports Illustrated called his book Home and Away: Memoir of a Fan "extraordinaryuniformly superba memoir of such breadth and reach that it compares favorably with Fredrick Exley's A Fan's Notes." The health of the family was not affected. And then, as we laughed, cried, and hugged her even more fiercely, Feng Jia-Mei opened her small robin's mouth and burped up a geyser of phlegm, fear, and breakfast. hide caption. Some interviews have been difficult, or painful like when we asked Bill Cosby about the sexual assault allegations against him and he stayed silent. We shucked raindrops from our shoes and coats. Scott Turow called it "a treasure. You walk into the building as a couple, and leave a few minutes later as a family. Excerpted from Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other by Scott Simon Copyright 2010 by Scott Simon. It turned out that Martin's mother was a woman of Scandinavian origin who, stumped by the "ethnic" section of the adoption form, had simply identified herself as "All American. With over 4 million listeners it is the most-listened to news program on NPR. Laurie Halse Anderson just called the book, "Amazing. There are already children in this world who need us right now. Something in her face, and in her tiny, tender shoulders, seemed to call out. And her beauty is breathtaking. Simon is a native of Chicago and the son of comedian Ernie Simon and Patricia Lyons Simon. At the end of the interview, Simon offered Cosby an opportunity to comment on the accusations of sexual assault against him. We opened the network's first bureau in a war zone El Salvador, in 1982. We also know that the hardest parts are still ahead. The UAE has picked a top oil executive to lead global climate talks this year. Since 1985, I've had the blessing to get together with you most every Saturday, for what I've grown to see as a weekly road trip through hearts and minds, and, expressions of joy. You walk into the building as a couple, and leave a few minutes later as a family. always gripping, always tender, and often painfully funny. We opened the network's first bureau in a war zone El Salvador, in 1982. Our baby was famished. And then, as we laughed, cried, and hugged her even more fiercely, Feng Jia-Mei opened her small robin's mouth and burped up a geyser of phlegm, fear, and breakfast. Those clothes! Sports Illustrated called his book Home and Away: Memoir of a Fan extraordinaryuniformly superba memoir of such breadth and reach that it compares favorably with Fredrick Exleys A Fans Notes. It was at the top of several non-fiction bestseller lists. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. 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