Saturday, September 20, 2003

By Barbara Vancheri, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

CBS News correspondent Byron Pitts will talk about his two tours of duty in Iraq at Carlow College's Marie Torre Memorial Lecture at 7 p.m. Oct. 27. The public is invited to the free event.

Pitts was an embedded war correspondent who covered one of the seminal moments of the war: the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue.

He also served as primary correspondent for the network during the Sept. 11 events at the World Trade Center, covered the war from Afghanistan, reported on Elian Gonzalez and the Florida presidential recount.

In one of his more gruesome but newsworthy assignments, he was a media witness at the execution of Timothy McVeigh, who was put to death in June 2001 for the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

Pitts' work has been honored with many prizes, including a national Emmy, six regional Emmys, four Associated Press and two National Association of Black Journalists awards.

The Torre lecture series, which hosted Mike Wallace, Carol Marin and Thalia Assuras, was founded in 1997 to honor the late KDKA newswoman and individuals who are exemplars of ethical and professional leadership.

The talk, in Kresge Hall at 3333 Fifth Ave. in Oakland, is free but reservations are required. Call 412-578-8866, specifying name and number of tickets requested.

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