In Pictures: Remembering Susan Stamberg, one of NPR’s Founding Mothers

NPR ‘founding mother’ Susan Stamberg has died at the age of 87. Colleagues saw her as a yenta, a mentor and a storyteller who was always tough and true to herself. NPR’s David Folkenflik pays tribute:

Susan Stamberg joined NPR at its start, originally to cut tape — literal tape, with a single-sided blade — at a time when commercial networks almost never hired women.

Stamberg said NPR’s first program director, Bill Siemering, was brave to put her behind the microphone. She hosted All Things Considered and Weekend Edition, and then became a special correspondent.

She found joy in the creativity of culture, the spark of science and even the humanity in politics.

To this day, Susan Stamberg’s recorded voice announces each floor on the elevators at NPR’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Susan Stamberg (back second from right) sits with the All Things Considered team.
Susan Stamberg (back second from right) sits with the All Things Considered team. (Art Silverman | NPR)
Susan Stamberg was featured on CBS' 60 Minutes on June 4, 1995.
Susan Stamberg was featured on CBS’ 60 Minutes on June 4, 1995. (Jay Kernis | NPR)
Carl Kasell talks with Susan Stamberg (right) and Linda Wertheimer after delivering his last newscast at NPR on Dec. 30, 2009 in Washington, D.C.
Carl Kasell talks with Susan Stamberg (right) and Linda Wertheimer after delivering his last newscast at NPR on Dec. 30, 2009 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images)
Founding producer of Morning Edition and Weekend Edition Jay Kernis (left) sits with Susan Stamberg in the mid-1970s at a staff party.
Founding producer of Morning Edition and Weekend Edition Jay Kernis (left) sits with Susan Stamberg in the mid-1970s at a staff party. (Jay Kernis | NPR)
Susan Stamberg and her son, Josh Stamberg, attend the ceremony honoring her with a star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame on March 3, 2020 in Hollywood, Calif.
Susan Stamberg and her son, Josh Stamberg, attend the ceremony honoring her with a star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame on March 3, 2020 in Hollywood, Calif. (Amy Sussman | Getty Images)
Sam Waterston (left), NPR 'founding mothers' Susan Stamberg and Linda Wertheimer pose for a photo at the 32nd Annual American Women in Radio & Television Gracie Allen Awards in 2007.
Sam Waterston (left), NPR “founding mothers” Susan Stamberg and Linda Wertheimer pose for a photo at the 32nd Annual American Women in Radio & Television Gracie Allen Awards in 2007. (L. Busacca/WireImage | Getty Images)
NPR's Susan Stamberg (second from left) and Bob Edwards rehearse their parts in a radio drama with actors Ed Asner and Anne Meara. The radio play, 'I'd Rather Eat Pants,' was broadcast on NPR in 2002.
NPR’s Susan Stamberg (second from left) and Bob Edwards rehearse their parts in a radio drama with actors Ed Asner and Anne Meara. The radio play, “I’d Rather Eat Pants,” was broadcast on NPR in 2002. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag | Getty Images)
Susan Stamberg at her birthday party in Maryland.
Susan Stamberg at her birthday party in Maryland. (Jay Kernis | NPR)
Susan Stamberg (center) takes a break with the All Things Considered team.
Susan Stamberg (center) takes a break with the All Things Considered team. (Art Silverman | NPR)
Susan Stamberg was a longtime special correspondent in search of sound-rich stories about culture.
Susan Stamberg was a longtime special correspondent in search of sound-rich stories about culture. (Art Silverman | NPR)

 

DVDs and public transit: Boycott drives people to ditch Big Tech to protest ICE

A sweeping boycott has begun — targeting tech giants who participants believe are enabling President Trump and his immigration crackdown.

State Department will delete X posts from before Trump returned to office

The policy change orders the removal of any post made by official State Department accounts on X before President Trump returned to office in 2025.

Trump promised a crypto revolution. So why is bitcoin crashing?

Trump got elected promising to usher in a crypto revolution. More than a year later, bitcoin's price has come tumbling down. What happened?

The CIA World Factbook is dead. Here’s how I came to love it

The Factbook survived the Cold War and became a hit online. It mixed quirky cultural notes and trivia with maps, data, and photos taken by CIA officers. But it was discontinued this week.

Mariah Carey, coffee makers and other highlights from the Olympic opening ceremony

NPR reporters at the Milan opening ceremony layered up and took notes.

Japan’s first female prime minister stakes her future on snap elections

Japan's first female premier has called snap elections for Sunday. She seeks a mandate for what could be sweeping changes and possibly a lurch to the political right.

More Front Page Coverage