Matt Lauer '97
College of Communication
Anxious to
begin his broadcasting career, Matt Lauer left Ohio University in 1979
four credits shy of his degree. His first position as a news producer/reporter
at WOWK-TV in Huntington, West Virginia, was the initial step on a career path
that has led to co-hosting NBC's "Today" show with Katie Couric.
But even as
his career brought him success and recognition on the national level, his heart
has never been far from Ohio University. He had always intended to return for his
degree but never found the time. In 1997, President Glidden asked Matt to
deliver the commencement address. On that June day, he did more than that; he
walked on stage with the class of 1997 to claim the diploma that had eluded him
nearly 20 years earlier.
In 1999, he
received the Medal of Merit Award from the Alumni Association for his
achievements in the communication field. Matt's appreciation for Ohio
University grows with each passing year, as he demonstrated most recently by
hosting the Bicentennial Campaign video.
Biography
for
Katie Couric
Birth name
Katherine Anne Couric
Date of birth (location)
7 January 1957
Arlington, Virginia, USA
Spouse
|
'Jay Monahan' |
(1989
- 24 January 1998) (his death); 2 daughters |
Trivia
Her older
sister Senator Emily Couric (Virginia) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in
July 2000.
Daughters:
Ellie (b.1991), Caroline (b.1995)
CNN president Renee
Schonfield banned Couric from the air after hearing Couric's high-pitched,
squeaky voice.
Attended The
Holton Arms High School In Bethesda MD (Class of 1975)
High school
cheerleader.
Graduated from
the University of Virginia in 1979.
Named one of
People Magazine's '25 Most Intriguing People of 2001'.
Aunt of Jeff
Wadlow.
Personal quotes
"Reese
Schoenfeld, who was then president of CNN, called up the Washington bureau and
said 'I never want her on the air again.' But, he was right at the time because
I was so green and so bad." - about her early career while at CNN
Salary
|
$14,000,000 (annually from 2002
till 2006) |
Biography for
Al Roker
Date of birth (location)
20 August 1954
Queens, New York, USA
Height
5' 8"
Trivia
Attended
State University of New York (SUNY) College at Oswego (show more)
Spouse
|
'Alice Bell' |
(22 December 1984
- ?) (divorced) |
|
'?' |
(? - ?) (divorced) (second wife);
1 daughter |
|
(1995
- present); 2 children |
Trivia
(November
1998) Daughter, with Roberts, born
Welcomed second
child with wife Deborah son Nicholas Albert on July 18th, 2002.
Attended State
University of New York (SUNY) College at Oswego
Salary
|
$1,500,000 |
Biography for
Ann Curry
Date of birth (location)
19 November 1956
Ashland, Oregon, USA
Height 5' 6"
Spouse 'Brian Ross'
Trivia
Her mother is
Japanese.
She was
selected one of People Magazines 50 Most Beautiful People of 1998.
Has a son and
a daughter.
Is one of four
children born to an American father and a Japanese mother. She grew up in Oregon.
Her father is of French, Scotch-Irish, and
Amerindian descent.
C/o http://us.imdb.com/Name?Curry,%20Ann%20(I)
Biography for
Matt Lauer
Birth name
Matthew
Todd Lauer
Date of birth (location)
30 December 1957
New York City, New York, USA
Actor - filmography
(2000s)
(1990s)
(1980s)
- Headliners
& Legends: Bambi Bembenek (2001) (TV) .... Host
- Headliners
& Legends: Brooke Shields (2001) (TV) .... Himself/Host
- Headliners
& Legends: Farrah Fawcett (2000) (TV) .... Himself
- "Headliners
& Legends with Matt Lauer" (1998) TV Series
- "Today"
(1952) TV Series ....
Host (1997-)
... aka "NBC News Today" (1952) (USA: promotional title)
... aka "Today Show, The" (1952) (USA) - "Esquire:
About Men, for Women" (1989) TV
Series .... Host (1989)
- "Evening
Magazine" (1976) TV Series
.... Host (1980-1986)
... aka "Evening: The MTWTF Show" (1976) (USA: first episodes title)
... aka "P.M. Magazine" (1976) (USA)
Mini biography
Matt was
educated at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio where he majored in communications.
He was hired for internship and quit school in 1979 - four credits shy of
graduation. Matt later obtained the degree in 1997 by writing a paper on work
experience and delivering the commencement address. Matt's first wife was Nancy
Alspaugh, born in 1955, a TV producer. Matt was briefly engaged to
Kristen Gesswein, a newscaster. They were together from 1989-96. Matt's current
wife is Dutch born model Annette Roque (aka Jade Roque). They have been
together since the summer of 1997. They were married October 3, 1998. Matt's
father's name is Robert Lauer. He was a retired bicycle-company executive who
divorced from Lauer's mother. He died of cancer in 1997 at age 74. Matt's
mother's name is Marilyn Kolmer, who is a boutique owner and a former model.
She remarried to Richard Kolmer who is Matt's stepfather. Marilyn's father,
Matt's grandfather, is Art Gentry, a singer. Matt has a sister whose
name is April Lauer Stone. April was born in 1953 and is married with two
children. In 1999 Matt won a Daytime Emmy Award
for Outstanding Special Class Program, 1998 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Spouse
|
(1981
- 1988) (divorced) |
|
|
'Annette Roque' |
Trivia
(1997) Chosen
by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the
World.
Has a fear of
lightening which he has described as being "concern."
Has a mild
case of color-blindness.
(26 June 2001)
Son Jack Matthew Lauer was born. Jack is Lauer's first child with wife Annette
Roque. His birth weight was 7 lb 3 oz. Matt had to leave the "Today"
show in the middle of the broadcast to join his wife for the birth of his son.
Personal quotes
"I get
letters from women, and they say, 'I love your Roman nose.' If I weren't on TV
and I walked past that same woman, she'd go, 'Did you see the beak on that
guy?' " --People, May 1994.
Where are they now
September
11, 2000 - Sydney Australia for Olympic Games coverage for NBC's
"Today"
Bridal Bouquet with Preston
Whether an elaborate mass of flowers or a simple posy, a
bride’s bouquet embodies the spirit of her wedding. For their wedding, “Today”
show co host Matt Lauer and model Annette Roque hired Preston Bailey, a renowned
floral designer in New York City, to create bouquets and centerpieces that
would complement the lush, deep-red color scheme of their wedding. Preston
joins Martha to demonstrate how he made Annette’s memorable bridal bouquet.
Red roses symbolize deep and passionate love, and Annette
chose velvety deep-red ‘Black Magic’ roses for her bouquet. The roses’ only
accompaniment are small red pepper berries, which separate and define the roses
and cascade from the sides of the bouquet.
To create the bouquet, Preston first dethorns the roses
with an automatic dethorning machine. (You can accomplish the same thing at
home with a knife and a sturdy pair of gloves.)
For Annette's bouquet, Preston arranges the roses first,
adding them one by one and moving them around until they fit together nicely.
He then inserts pepper-berry clusters between some of the roses and at the
edges of the bouquet. Preston wires the pepper-berry clusters in advance to add
sufficient length to the stems, but prefers not to wire the roses, choosing
instead to retain some of the natural bulk of the stems.
Preston uses approximately forty roses and eighteen
pepper-berry clusters in the bouquet. When he is finished arranging, he grips
all the stems in one hand, then cuts them at an angle with a straight-edged
floral knife. Cut the stems to varying lengths to minimize bulk; the longest
should be nine or ten inches long. He wraps the stems tightly in green floral
tape, and as a finishing touch, he winds deep red ribbon that matches the roses
around the handle of the bouquet, securing the beginning and end with
pearl-topped pins.
Special Thanks
Preston Bailey
Entertainment
and set designer
Preston
Bailey Design Inc.
147
West 25th Street
New
York, NY 10001
212-691-6777
Info Courtesy
of…
La-
http://www.ohiou.edu/campaign/lauer_bio.html
The
Material Girl has poor Matt Lauer so confused even he doesn't
know where he's going.
Tuesday, April
25, 2000
Lauer, soon to embark on another "Where in the
World Is Matt Lauer" journey, admits mom-to-be Madonna recently
duped him. "I asked her point-blank if she was pregnant. She said,
point-blank, 'No,' " Lauer tells USA Weekend of his interview
last month with the entertainer. "She was very convincing. But now, when I
look at the tape and see that certain smile on her face, I realize I was
probably just naive."
Lauer, cohost of NBC's Today, says he is
used to this kind of deception from celebrities. "They're trying to
schmooze you. For the most part they're selling something. Politicians and
movie stars practice [their responses], and it's very hard to know if you're
getting a real window into anything that resembles their personality."
The one thing Lauer does know is how to stay
neutral. Of his friendship with rival host Bryant Gumbel of CBS's The
Early Show, Lauer explains, "We've made a deal. All we'll each say is,
'I want him to do great, and I know he wants the same for me.' We won't
critique each other's show, because then [people] will say, 'Do you know what
Bryant said about your show?' And then I'll say, 'What? Tell me!' "
So how does Lauer stay so cheery in the
morning? "I have a great wife. We have a juicer and she makes this
incredible concoction of fresh nectarines, pears, oranges and bananas. She puts
it in a bottle and I take it to work. It's like a kick in the butt. It's
fantastic." — Lauren Kane
Link to My Today.