Power Woman Of The Year: Monica, Monica, Monica!

Her last name may have changed and her hairstyles certainly have, but two things have never changed: Monica Pearson has ruled the airwaves at WSB-TV for more than 30 years and her commitment to helping her community has been unwavering.

by Mary Welch

January 6, 2009

E ach Tuesday, the first graders at Lenora P. Miles Elementary School are excited because the nice lady comes and reads to them. But not just reads - performs.
    
"Oh my goodness, she comes in and she's so excited about her books. She doesn't just read - she acts out the books. She changes her voice; she gets up and uses body language. She gets everyone so excited about reading," says Barbara Heard, the school's reading facilitator. "The kids know that she's on television. But that's not why they love her."

    
On screen or off, Monica Pearson is one of the most beloved and respected Atlantans. An Emmy winning journalist, Pearson has been anchoring and reporting the news for more than 30 years at WSB-TV. And although her professional career is admirable, her activities outside of work are why she's one of the city's top citizens and Atlanta Woman 's 2009 Power Woman of the Year.
    
"Monica is an incredibly respected journalist," says Ann Cramer, director-North America of corporate citizenship and corporate affairs for IBM and Atlanta Woman 's 2008 Power Woman of the Year. "But she is an extraordinary community citizen. From the very beginning, she understood she had a mutual role to play and a responsibility to the community. She made that connection from Day One, and she never forgot it. She has wielded her influence and power to make a difference, especially with women's and girls' organizations. When she gets involved, it is not just a titular position. She gets involved and speaks out."

    
Pearson credits her mother with inspiring her civic zest. "My mother made it a regular part of my life growing up that we would be doing something for someone else. And, when I moved to Atlanta, volunteering was one way I was about to get to know the city and make friends. The recognition from TV came afterwards."
    
Bruce Baker, Cox Television's executive vice president, says that she "has demonstrated many times over her illustrious career that she is more than an anchor. After you meet her it is quite clear that she carries a great passion for this city and people. She demonstrates this passion through her outstanding journalism in her unique way in helping others understand the day's events. As if this hasn't been enough, there are the countless times she has sacrificed her time and energy to help make this a better place to live. Among her many contributions, she is a devoted volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program and takes time to visit and read with elementary school children."  
    
A native of Louisville, Ky., Pearson first starting volunteering at the Butler Street YMCA as well as with Literacy Action and the Girl Scouts. Today, she maintains a heavy schedule of volunteering, including roles with Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, the Girl Scouts of Northwest Georgia, Exodus, the American Cancer Society, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and Senior Citizens Services. A lifetime member of the NAACP, she secured a similar membership for her daughter, Claire, at nine months. In 2000, she was named the first woman president of the Atlanta Tipoff Clubs Awards for High School Basketball Players. She also was the first African-American and the second woman to serve as chairman of the Metropolitan United Way.
    
It's obvious she loves her community and being a part of it. "Everyone should be involved," she says simply. "I love reading to my first graders. They keep me grounded. They really allow me to remember who I really am. They know me on TV, but I make sure they see the real me who loves spending time with them."

    
Her husband, John Pearson, understands his wife's appeal.
    
"She is genuinely the nicest person I've ever met. We would go places and people just come up and talk to her. When we first starting going out, I thought she knew all those people, but she didn't," he says. "It struck me. It didn't matter who it was or where we were or what we were doing, if someone talked to her, she would stop and take the time to get to know that person. She'll look them in the eye and talk to them as if she had nothing else to do but talk to them. That's how she is, and I wish I could be as nice and genuine as that."
    
If he sounds like a smitten newlywed, well he is. The two met on a blind date. "I so didn't want to get fixed up, and I told my girlfriend the things I absolutely didn't want - like a bald head. He was all those things, but it didn't matter."
    
A retired Assistant Police Chief of the DeKalb County Police Department, Pearson is a private person and soon realized what it was like dating Monica Kaufman, as she was then known. "I took her to my church, and afterwards my assistant pastor called me up and asked why I didn't tell him I was bringing Monica Kaufman. I said I didn't think of it, and he goes, 'But she's an icon!' I've also been introduced as Major Kaufman, including by my police chief. It doesn't matter. I wasn't dating Monica Kaufman. I was dating this wonderful woman."
    
Pearson proposed in Hawaii, and his wife-to-be's reaction was quick. "I screamed," she recalls. "And, then I found out that he had already asked my mother for my hand and bought the ring. It so touched me."
    
They married in September 2005 and created an immediate branding issue. Monica Kaufman, the face of WSB-TV, wanted to change her name.
    
"Most people assume that I made her change," her husband says. "I would not want to marry a woman who didn't wish to carry my name. But I also understand that her name was a brand. I never asked her to change it professionally. But she wanted to do it. She wanted to be Monica Pearson professionally and personally."
    
The station wasn't sure. "They wanted to do research to see how the audience would be affected," he continues. "And, Monica's contract negotiations were starting up. She simply said, you can research all you want, and if I'm not allowed to change my name, well, there's no contract. She was tough, but it made me proud of our relationship. It humbled me by her tremendous expression of hope and love, and I felt confident in our marriage. I didn't demand it; she loves me and wanted to do it. It was the greatest gift I've ever received. We've both been married before, but this time we got it right!"
    
And, to viewers, it didn't matter. She still was Monica.

    
Pearson has been such a fixture in our homes that it may be easy to forget what a distinguished and tough journalist she is. A graduate of the University of Louisville, she came to Atlanta and WSB-TV in August 1975. She has won 28 local and regional Emmy Awards and in 1989 joined previous recipients such as Barbara Walters, Ed Bradley and John Chancellor when she was presented with the Distinguished Service to Broadcasting Award presented by DiGamma Kappa Honorary Society at the University of Georgia.
     
"When I think of what I want to do with news, it involves putting out there the same information I would want to help me make important decisions in my life," she says. "We are an information highway, and I like reporting on stories that change people's lives, to improve them. I like getting information out there on where you can go for help. News you can use. I like medical stories, for instance."
    
Her co-anchor, John Pruitt, says "When Monica first joined me on the WSB anchor desk in 1975, her personality and dynamism quickly took the city by storm. It was amazing to witness the beginnings of a love affair with her viewers that has only strengthened over the decades.  The person you see on the air is the real Monica, vibrant, charismatic and full of humanity. She has always been committed to our community and has used her talents as a force for positive change."
    
Asked to name some career highlights, she mentions two. The first is her investigative piece about the Georgia High School Association, which in its 87 years had never had a woman on its executive committee and didn't have a statewide competition for girls' soccer and cheerleading.
    
The second was for her documentary Hot Flash! The Truth about Menopause. "No one talked about it," she says. "We had to break down stereotypes and get real information out there."
    
She also cites as personally exciting her wait in Tokyo for Atlanta's name to be read for the awarding of the 1996 Olympics. "I was standing there pinching myself." She also received the Humanitarian Award in 1977 from the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust for her show, Prejudice and Hate: Georgians and the Holocaust. "It was more of a public affairs show with news, but it meant a lot to me," she says.
    
She hopes to - but isn't sure - whether she'll cover the presidential inauguration. "You know, I've never been."
    
How did she feel personally - and as a journalist - about Barak Obama's election? "I saw some reporters crying and cheering," she says. "I'm from a different generation. I try not to show my emotions. I work hard not to let my personal feelings get the better of me. I have a job to do, and our viewers must be able to trust us. When I'm far away from the camera, that's different."
    
Monica thoroughly enjoys her work but is looking ahead toward retirement. She and her husband are building a lake house where, according to her husband, "our goal is to have it feel like every day is a vacation. We look at the lake, eat dinner and enjoy each other's company."
    
She also is eyeing a second career as an entertainer.  "When I retire in 2012, I'll be 65, and it makes sense to me to try to see if I can perform. I love to sing and I'd like to give it a try."
    
But that is a long way off. Pearson still has stories to report and her volunteer work. Thoroughly happy in her personal life, she can offer a little perspective that comes with experience. "I was a lot of 'firsts.'" She says. "But I won't be the last. I believe that you do what you can as well as you can and remember, you can be replaced, too.
    
"I just want to make a difference."