Susan Stamberg, one of NPR's "founding mothers," died on Thursday at the age of 87.
Listen to NPR's special report celebrating Susan Stamberg's career by hitting the play button above.
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.
Copyright 2026 NPR
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Susan Stamberg (back second from right) sits with the All Things Considered team.
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Susan Stamberg was featured on CBS' 60 Minutes on June 4, 1995.
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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.
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Founding producer of Morning Edition and Weekend Edition Jay Kernis (left) sits with Susan Stamberg in the mid-1970s at a staff party.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Susan Stamberg at her birthday party in Maryland.
Art Silverman / NPR
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Susan Stamberg (center) takes a break with the All Things Considered team.
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Susan Stamberg was a longtime special correspondent in search of sound-rich stories about culture.
Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy.
Natalie Winston is the Executive Producer of All Things Considered on the weekends. She has led the show through coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and many other breaking news events. She also led a remote team for a weekend of coverage from Puerto Rico at the start of the 2018 hurricane season.
SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.
SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.
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