Celebrating an anniversary with Deborah Norville

Friends and members of SACC New York celebrate 25th anniversary of the Tuesday Club. 

  • Deborah Norville and Renee Lundholm
  • Friends and members of SACC New York gathered at Restaurant Aquavit for a special 25th anniversary celebration on May 19, 2015. The Tuesday Club celebration featured a presentation by Deborah Norville, the Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist and longtime host of Inside Edition. The engaging Ms. Norville, who was born and raised in Georgia, talked about her Swedish heritage and how her grandparents emigrated to the U.S. more than 100 years ago. As a teenager, she discovered her passion for television when she competed in the 1976 Junior Miss Georgia Pageant, a contest she won with the help of an unlikely talent — sewing. That led to journalism school where she had an opportunity to interview President Jimmy Carter. It was a life-changing moment. “I suddenly realized, ‘I just did an interview with the president of the United States. I am going to get a job!’”
    Norville joined Inside Edition 20 years ago, after stints on NBC’s Today and NBC’s News at Sunrise. Although she is a firm believer in broadcast journalism, she acknowledged some stories are more important than others. “There has to be something better to talk about than Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears,” she said. Her talk then turned to the power of positive gratitude, the subject of her 2007 bestselling book, “Thank You Power: Making the Science of Gratitude Work for You.” She described a research study in which three groups were asked to think about good stuff, negative stuff and neutral stuff. Those who focused on gratitude were more optimistic and creative. She also mentioned proven stress relievers such as looking at pictures of puppies and penguins. “When you are focused on things that make you grateful, you succeed,” she said. “Embrace your power of gratitude.”