Gross, who has been host of Fresh Air since 1975, when it was broadcast only in Greater Philadelphia, is not afraid to ask tough questions. But she sets an atmosphere in which her guests volunteer the answers rather than surrendering them. The San Francisco Chronicle calls the unique approach, “a remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence.” Fresh Air is broadcast on nearly 600 stations and became the first non-drive-time show in public radio history to reach more than 5 million listeners a week. The broadcast went on to win the Peabody Award in 1994 for its “probing questions, revelatory interviews and unusual insight.

Gross began her radio career in 1973 at public radio station WBFO in Buffalo, N.Y., where she hosted and produced several arts, women’s and public affairs programs. Two years later, she joined the staff of WHYY-FM in Philadelphia as producer and host of Fresh Air, then a local, daily interview and music program. In 1985, WHYY-FM launched a weekly half-hour edition of Fresh Air with Terry Gross, which was distributed nationally by NPR. Since 1987, a daily, one-hour national edition of Fresh Air has been produced by WHYY-FM. 

Fresh Air with Terry Gross has received various awards, including the Gracie Award by the America Women in Radio and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Edward R. Murrow Award. In 2010 she became the fourth recipient of the Modern Language Association’s Phyllis Franklin Award for Public Advocacy of the Humanities. In 2011, she received the Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community. In 2015, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and received the 2015 National Humanities Medal from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Gross is the author of All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians and Artists, published by Hyperion in 2004. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., she received a bachelor’s degree in English and master of education degree in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her alma mater awarded her a Distinguished Alumni Award in 1993 and an honorary degree in 2007. She’s also received honorary degrees from Princeton University, Haverford College and Drexel University. She gave the commencement address at Vassar College in 2007 and Bryn Mawr College in 2014.

The Max Rosenn Lecture in Law and Humanities was established at Wilkes University in 1980 in recognition of Judge Rosenn’s exceptional contributions to public service. It was established by his former law clerks, his law firm, Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald, family and friends. Past speakers include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bryan Stevenson, Anna Deavere Smith, Anthony Lewis, Cory Booker and Bob Woodward.

Judge Max Rosenn’s long career as a public servant spanned many fields, including law, philanthropy, public welfare, health and religion. He made innumerable contributions to the enhancement of northeastern Pennsylvania, to state government, and to the federal judiciary. Following the Hurricane Agnes Disaster of 1972, he played a vital role in the rehabilitation of Greater Wilkes-Barre and its many neighboring communities as chairman of the Flood Recovery Task Force for Wyoming Valley.

After receiving an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Judge Rosenn commenced his legal career. He interrupted that career to enter military service in World War II. After several years in the South Pacific, he returned to his wife and sons and resumed the practice of law. He entered state government in 1966 as secretary of public welfare for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As secretary, Judge Rosenn also served as a member of the cabinet of Governor William W. Scranton and in the cabinet of his successor, Raymond Shafer, and as chairman of the Governor’s Council for Human Services. Following his resignation as Secretary and resumption of the practice of law, he served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and chairman of the Legislative Executive Task Force to Restructure Human Services for Pennsylvania. He also served as a member of the 1968 Governor’s Commission to Revise the Public Employee Laws of Pennsylvania. President Nixon appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals in 1970.

He and wife, Tillie, were lifetime residents of the Wyoming Valley, have two sons, Professor Keith and Dr. Daniel, and six grandchildren.

In recognition of his exceptional contributions and his warm relationship with them, Judge Rosenn’s former law clerks and former law firm Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald, with the assistance of his family and friends, established in 1980 the Max Rosenn Lecture Series in Law and Humanities.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Cancer Survivor & All-time Leading Scorer in NBA history.	Anna Deavere Smith Playwright, actor, and professor
Ron Prosor Abba Eban Chair of International Diplomacy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC)	Anthony Lewis Columnist, New York Times
Edwin Newman Correspondent,  NBC News	Joseph J. Sisco Former Undersecretary of State in Political Affairs
Richard Schifter Former U.S. Ambassador to United Nations	Henry Steele Commager Historian, Professor of Law,  Amherst College
Bettina Gregory Senior Correspondent ABC	Malcolm Toon Former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union
Nina Totenberg Legal Affairs Correspondent National Public Radio	Ambler Moss Dean, School of International Studies, University of Miami
John Paul Stevens Justice, U.S. Supreme Court	T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. Author, Educator, Renowned Pediatrician
Leslie H. Gelb, Ph.D. Author, Journalist, New York Times Columnist	Tom J. Farer, J.D. Director, International Relations Program American University
Doris Kearns Goodwin, Ph.D. Author, Historian, Political Analyst	Honorable A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. Chief Judge Emeritus, United States Court of Appeals
Paul Simon Retired United States Senator	Morris S. Dees, Jr. Chief Trial Counsel,  Southern Poverty Law Center
Abner J. Mikva Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law and Senior Fellow, IGPA University of Illinois	David Halberstam Author, Journalist, and Historian
Norman Mailer  Novelist, Biographer,and  Historian	Fareed Zakaria Editor Newsweek International
Robin Wright Author and Chief diplomatic correspondent for The Los Angeles Times	Amy Chua Author Yale Law School Professor
Irshad Manji Award-winning journalist Author	Bob Woodward Assistant Managing Editor of The Washington Post
Christopher Dillon Quinn Award winning documentary film director	John Bul Dau one of The Lost Boys of Sudan featured in the film God Grew Tired of Us
Richard Leakey Paleoanthropologist,  Conservationist, Activist	Zanny Minton-Beddoes Economics Editor The Economist
Greg Mortenson Best-selling author and humanitarian Co-author Three Cups of Tea	Michelle Rhee Founder and CEO of StudentsFIrst
Cory Booker Mayor - Newark, New Jersey	Noah Feldman Bemis Professor - Harvard University
Richard Lugar Retired United States Senator	Brian Greene String Theorist Author of "The Elegant Universe"
Anthony Lewis Columnist, New York Times	Senator Paul Simon Retired United States Senator, Illinois
Edwin Newman Correspondent, NBC News	Morris S. Dees, Jr. Chief Trial Counsel, Southern Poverty Law Center
Joseph J. Sisco Former Undersecretary of State in Political Affairs	Abner J. Mikva Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law and Senior Fellow, IGPA University of Illinois
Richard Schifter Former U.S. Ambassador to United Nations	David Halberstam Author, Journalist, Historian
Henry Steele Commager Historian, Professor of Law, Amherst College	Norman Mailer Novelist, Biographer Historian
Bettina Gregory Senior Correspondent ABC	Fareed Zakaria Editor Newsweek International
Malcolm Toon Former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union	Robin Wright Author and Chief diplomatic correspondent for The Los Angeles Times
Nina Totenberg Legal Affairs Correspondent National Public Radio	Amy Chua Author Yale Law School Professor
Ambler Moss Dean, School of International Studies, University of Miami	Irshad Manji Award-winning journalist Author
John Paul Stevens Justice U.S. Supreme Court	Bob Woodward Assistant Managing Editor of The Washington Post
T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. Author, Educator, Renowned Pediatrician	Christopher Dillon Quinn Award winning documentary film director
Leslie H. Gelb, Ph.D. Author, Journalist, New York Times Columnist	John Bul Dau one of The Lost Boys of Sudan featured in the film God Grew Tired of Us
Tom J. Farer, J.D. Director, International Relations Program American University	Richard Leakey Paleoanthropologist, Conservationist, Activist
Doris Kearns Goodwin, Ph.D. Author, Historian, Political Analyst	Zanny Minton-Beddoes Economics Editor The Economist
Honorable A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. Chief Judge Emeritus, United States Court of Appeals