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Date 5-01-06
Contact David Tisdale 601.266.4499
WITH PHOTO
Hattiesburg—A
renowned New Orleans television news anchor will address graduates
at the University of Southern Mississippi’s spring 2006 commencement
exercises.
Sally-Ann Roberts
Craft, a Pass Christian native who serves as co-anchor for WWL-TV’s
Eyewitness Morning News show, will give the graduation
address for both the Hattiesburg and Gulf Coast campuses. Hattiesburg
graduation ceremonies are May 12 at 2:30 and 6:30 p.m., and the
Gulf Coast campus graduation ceremony will be May 13 at 10 a.m.
at the Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi.
Craft earned
both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Southern
Mississippi. While a student, she served as a reporter, announcer
and anchor for WUSM-FM, the university’s radio station. She was
inducted into the university’s Alumni Hall of Fame last year.
After she graduated
from Southern Miss, Craft worked as community relations director,
announcer and news reporter for another Mississippi radio station
before moving on to WDAM-TV where she worked as a weekend anchor,
feature reporter and weathercaster. She has been with WWL-TV since
1977.
Bob Pierce,
executive director of the Southern Miss Alumni Association, said
Craft is an appropriate selection to be this spring’s commencement
speaker because of her first hand experience dealing with the impact
of Hurricane Katrina and her work as a reporter to keep her viewers
informed prior to and following the storm.
“I can think
of no one more capable of inspiring and challenging our graduates
at this time,” Pierce said. “Like so many of our alumni, faculty,
staff and students, Sally-Ann was personally affected by Hurricane
Katrina last August, but she has not let that tragedy impede her
professionalism in her position at WWL or her caring attitude toward
her fellow citizens.”
Dr. Chris Campbell,
director of the Southern Miss School of Mass Communication and Journalism,
described Craft as a great role model and representative of the
university.
“We couldn’t
be prouder to claim Sally-Ann as one of our graduates,” Campbell
said. “I lived in New Orleans for 13 years, so I had a good opportunity
to follow her career. She’s a real force in New Orleans, and she's
had a huge impact on the community. The morning newscast that she
anchors on WWL-TV gets unbelievable ratings. Everybody in the New
Orleans area watches.
“She's not just
a journalist -- she also runs a really effective mentoring program
called Each One Save One. She’s a great citizen of the city.”
Craft developed
the Each One Save One program in 1994. The program is a nonprofit
organization that provides New Orleans mentoring programs with mentors
from the business community. In addition, Each One Save One works
with local governments and school districts to establish new mentoring
programs. More than 350 mentors have dedicated at least an hour
a week with at least one student since the program started.
In 1998, she
wrote an inspirational book titled Going Live: An Anchorwoman
Reports Good News. All proceeds from the book go to Each One
Save One.
Craft was married
to Willie Craft, a 1974 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi,
who is deceased. She has three children: Judith, 21; Kelly, 18;
and Jeremiah, 11. Kelly is a freshman at the University of Southern
Mississippi.
Sally-Ann Roberts Craft
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