Roberta Hornig Draper Journalism and Mass Communication Fund

The Roberta Hornig Draper Journalism and Mass Communication Fund provides scholarships for promising out-of-state School of Journalism and Mass Communication majors. In making the award, the School’s scholarship committee will give the greatest weight to the student’s professional promise, which would be evidenced by involvement in student or other news organizations, as well as the student’s letter of application.

About the process: Students do not apply for individual scholarships with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Students fill out one application and the scholarship committee matches students to awards. Scholarships are awarded based on financial need, academics, study area and involvement. Visit our website for more information about our undergraduate scholarship program and accessing our application.

Who is eligible to apply?
Declared School of Journalism and Mass Communication majors
Seniors graduating in the spring or summer terms

Who is not eligible to apply?
Seniors graduating in December of the current term

Donor Information
Roberta Hornig Draper “Bobbie” was a “newspaperman” in the male dominated newspaper world of the 1950s. Bobbie began her career with other copy boys at the once dominant Washington Evening Star. She soon became the only female general reporter. She broke the story that the Kennedy White House was planting rows of rhododendrons to shield the John-John play area from prying eyes. This angered the President so much that he asked The Star to fire her. She wasn’t fired. Later the President visited The Star giving her flowers to make amends. She covered lady Bird Johnson’s beautification project. She saw it as a big local story which led her into national environmental and energy reporting. This included a nine-part series that The Star sold to 200 newspapers.

Bobbie began a career at NBC News covering the Senate. The same year, she married Morris Draper. Mr. Draper was appointed by Ronald Regan as a special envoy to the peace process in Beirut. In 1983 Bobbie accompanied her husband to Beirut. They were to meet in the embassy on the day it was bombed killing 63 people. Safely attending a meeting elsewhere, Morris raced back to the embassy to see if Bobbie was dead or alive. He spotted her returning from the hairdresser and their relieved embrace was captured on film and became the next Time magazine cover. In 1986 Morris was appointed as the US Consulate General to Jerusalem. The Drapers lived in Jerusalem for three years. Bobbie worked with her husband to find ways to get polarized Arabs and Jews to meet and socialize. When the couple returned to Washington, she worked for a short time for Senator Alan Cranston. She was rehired and returned to work for NBC as a producer for the Evening News. Her outgoing personality allowed her to cultivate sources with ease on both sides of the aisle.