How about this for a start:
HUGH DOWNS
Hugh Downs, host of ABC-TV's "20/20" and chair emeritus of the U.S.
Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF USA), is one of this country's most
recognized television personalities. The list of his accomplishments is
tremendous, as is the number of his admirers.
For many years, Mr. Downs has been a household name among millions of
television viewers, dating back to the time he was on "The Tonight Show" with
Jack Paar (1957-62). Mr. Downs has since hosted some of television's most
popular programs, including "Concentration," NBC's "Today" and PBS's "Over
Easy." For the latter, he won an Emmy Award in 1981.
Mr. Downs is listed by The Guinness Book of World Records as the
personality with the most hours on network TV. In 1986, Mr. Downs was
honored by the Museum of Broadcasting in New York City for his 40 years in
television. In 1990, he was presented with the Broadcaster of the Year Award
by the International Radio and Television Society for his many achievements
during his fifty years in radio and television.
As a reporter, Mr. Downs concentrates on issues relating to science, medicine,
children, adventure and aging, the fine arts, and family. He won his second
Emmy for a 1988 ABC News special on environmental hazards, and received
an award from the American Psychiatric Association for a 1991 program on
depression. A multifaceted individual, Mr. Downs is not only a skillful TV host,
author, sailor, explorer and aviator, but also a true humanitarian. His deep
commitment is unmistakable in the drive and dynamism with which he
discharged his duties as chair of the U.S. Committee for UNICEF from 1978
to 1998.
As its chair, Hugh Downs visited numerous UNICEF-assisted projects in
developing countries, including programs focusing on the control of diarrheal
disease in Bangladesh, nutrition projects in China, and income generation and
child care projects in Nepal. In 1992, Mr. Downs visited UNICEF-assisted
projects in Kenya, including camps for Somalian refugees.
In his support of UNICEF and the U.S. Committee for UNICEF, Mr. Downs
speaks from personal experiences on such critical issues as oral rehydration
therapy -- a simple, lifesaving solution to replace the essential fluids lost from
the body while suffering from severe diarrhea. In 1984, Mr. Downs witnessed
the miracle of ORT in Bangladesh, when he saw a cholera-stricken child
revived within hours after being given the solution.
Mr. Downs was born in Akron, Ohio. He attended Bluffton (Ohio) College,
Wayne University (now Wayne State) and Columbia University. He holds a
post-Masters degree in gerontology from Hunter College of New York and a
certificate in Geriatric Medicine from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine of New
York.
Mr. Downs and his wife, Ruth, maintain homes in New York and Arizona.
They have two grown children, Hugh Raymond and Deirdre Lynn.
For further information, please contact UNICEF USA's Public Relations
Department at (212) 922-2550.
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