meanor were very popular with the public, and the
show shot to the top of the ratings. Its ratings dipped
when Pauley took time off to give birth to twins with
husband Garry Trudeau. They went up again when
she returned. Her new cohost was Bryant Gumbel,
and the pair inspired a devoted following from their
morning audience. In spite of this popularity, in
1989, at the age of thirty-eight, Pauley was replaced
by a younger woman of thirty-one.
Impact Jane Pauley changed the way the public and
the media industry of 1980’s America perceived fe-
male television journalists. Her professional example
and personal style helped women in television jour-
nalism and in the general workplace realize that a
woman need not define herself or her career by an ex-
clusively male standard in order to achieve success.
Further Reading
Chambers, Deborah, Linda Steiner, and Carole Flem-
ing.Women and Journalism. London: Routledge,
2004.
Pauley, Jane.Skywriting:A Life Out of the Blue. New
York: Random House, 2004.
Twyla R. WellsSee also Brokaw, Tom; Jennings, Peter; Journal-
ism; Rather, Dan; Television; Women in the work-
force.Pei, I. M.
Identification Chinese American architect
Born April 26, 1917; Guangzhou, China
With his clarity of vision, purity of geometric form, and uti-
lization of innovative materials, Pei transformed the sky-
lines of cities across America.
The 1980’s provided I. M. Pei with the opportunity
to explore exciting design concepts and to utilize
new materials. Farsighted American entrepreneurs
and civic leaders awarded Pei commissions that gave750 Pei, I. M. The Eighties in America
Jane Pauley hostsThe Today Showwith Chris Wallace, left, and Bryant Gumbel in December, 1981.(AP/Wide World Photos)