Byron Pitts of ABC News Honored at NYC Gala

Lyne Pitts and Jeff Zeleny Also Receive Awards

ABC News anchor and chief national correspondent Byron Pitts was honored by the Stuttering Foundation at its May 7th gala in New York to celebrate National Stuttering Awareness Week.

“To see Byron on television, you would never know the tough childhood he endured,” said Jane Fraser of the Stuttering Foundation.

Bullying, illiteracy and stuttering were the prologue to Byron’s journey to become one of America’s most trusted television journalists, and a great advocate for the stuttering community. Byron’s story, captured so eloquently in his book, Step Out on Nothing, reminds us all of the profound interconnection between language competency and speech fluency.

Also honored was Lyne Pitts, Emmy award-winning executive producer for CBS’ The Early Show and the CBS Evening News.

“As we saw in The King's Speech, a strong and supportive spouse can be an incredible asset to all who stutter. We know that the role of family, and particularly that of the spouse, can be critical,” said Fraser.

“Byron loves to tell people he ‘married up’ – no doubt heralding Lyne’s role as supportive wife and loving mother of their five children. They are clearly partners in life who bring out the best in each other and set an example for us all to follow.”

The final honoree of the evening was Jeff Zeleny, Senior Washington Correspondent for ABC News.

Jeff gave an inspired commencement speech at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, a campus he began visiting at age five for speech therapy. He courageously shared his own experiences as a person who stutters with the graduating class and not only detailed his fear of public speaking but also offered sage advice on facing adversity and overcoming one’s fears.

Each honoree received the Foundation’s Converting Awareness into Action Award.

“I became a journalist to give voice to the voiceless. Many of you gathered tonight likewise know what it means to be voiceless. How blessed we are today to speak up for those on the road to learning to speak boldly for themselves. As my late mother Clarice Pitts would say, ‘Doing God’s work ain’t supposed to be easy, but it’s gotta get done.’ Thank you for your continued support of the Stuttering Foundation. As I see it, each of you is a gift from God.”
-Byron Pitts

From the Fall 2013 Newsletter

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Jack Paar

While Jack Paar is among the most prominent of the entertainers on the Stuttering Foundation’s list of Famous People Who Stutter, he deserves special recognition as he was among the first to openly address his stuttering in public. As host of The Tonight Show from 1957-1962, he spoke of his difficulties as a stuttering child and teenager, giving hope to young people.

Bruce Willis

While the world knows Bruce Willis as an A-list actor, few know that he struggled with stuttering throughout his first 20 years.

Walter Bruce Willis was born in 1955 in West Germany to his German mother, Marlene, and his American GI father, David Willis. The family settled in David’s hometown of Penns Grove, New Jersey in 1957, and the couple has three other children.

John Stossel

John Stossel is one of the most recognized and articulate reporters today. However, he once considered giving up his broadcasting career because of his stuttering.

“Fear of stuttering can easily become worse than the stuttering itself,” observed Stossel. “The idea that I’m on television and making speeches is still a shock to me sometimes.”

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.

Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles, a former player for The Philadelphia Eagles, the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers, made history in 2007 when he became the first player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt for his first two NFL touchdowns in the same game. In 2021, he was selected to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.