Russert died from a heart attack Friday.
St. Albans officials said the wake will be from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. The school is located at Massachusetts and Wisconsin avenues in northwest Washington. Thousands of mourners are expected to attend, so extensive preparations are under way at the school.
Russert's son, Luke, graduated from St. Albans in 2004, the same year his dad delivered the commencement speech. On the "Today" show Monday morning, Luke Russert talked about how he and his mother are coping with his father's death.
"It's definitely taking its toll on her," he said. "She grieves like a wife, and I grieve like a son, so it's different kinds of grieving, but we're definitely in the same boat. We miss my father immensely."
Since Russert's death, a steady stream of viewers has been leaving cards, flowers and personal mementos outside NBC4's studios in northwest Washington.
Luke Russert said he believes his father struck a chord with people from all kinds of backgrounds.
"I believe he saw himself as the questionnaire for the American people," he said. "He obviously did his job for himself, for his network, for his family. But, at his core, I believe he had a higher calling, a responsibility to educate the American people about the candidates that seek the highest office in the land."
A private funeral and memorial service for Tim Russert will be held on Wednesday. Russert's family has requested that the public respect their wishes by attending the public service on Tuesday and not the private service on Wednesday.
Accolades Pour In For Tim Russert
Russert, NBC's longtime political pundit and bulldog reporter, died on the job. He was 58 years old.
Russert, who was the network's Washington bureau chief, was stricken while recording voiceovers for his Sunday program, "Meet the Press." NBC said Tom Brokaw will host a special edition of the show tomorrow, dedicated to Russert.
President George W. Bush mourned Russert at a news conference Saturday with France's president, calling him "a hard-working, thorough and decent man."
Bush said that he, Laura Bush and the American people have Russert's widow, Maureen, and son Luke in their thoughts and prayers, saying "I know they're hurting right now," and saying the 58-year-old Russert loved his job, his family and his country.
"America lost a really fine man yesterday," said Bush, who appeared with President Nicolas Sarkozy for a question-and-answer session with American and French reporters in Paris amid their talks on a host of country-to-country and global issues.
"We're going to miss him," Bush said of Russert, saying he had been privileged to be interviewed by the NBC correspondent and Washington bureau chief for the network.
Vice President Dick Cheney called his passing "a
GREat tragedy."
Cheney, who has suffered from heart ailments in recent years, said, "I remember many occasions when we did the show when he would ask me about my health. But he never commented on his own; I was unaware that he had coronary artery disease. We could have compared notes. But it's a tremendous loss."
"One of the
GREat things about 'Meet the Press' and the way Tim ran it was that you got an hour sometimes, if you had a big subject like we did in September of '01, where you could devote the whole hour to getting into a subject in depth," Cheney said in an NBC interview Saturday. "And Tim was never into 'gotcha' journalism. He would ask you tough questions, he would remind you of quotes you made previously in other settings or on earlier shows, so you never got away with anything going up vis-À-vis Tim."
Russert was the managing editor of "Meet the Press" and political analyst for "NBC Nightly News" and the "Today" show. He also anchored "The Tim Russert Show," a weekly interview program on MSNBC, and moderated numerous political debates.
NBC interrupted its regular programming to announce Russert's death, and in the ensuing moments, friends and colleagues such as Tom Brokaw, Andrea Mitchell and Brian Williams took turns mourning his loss.
"It is my sad duty to report this afternoon" that Russert collapsed and died while working in the network's Washington studios, Brokaw said when he came on the air.
"He'll be missed as he was loved --
GREatly," Brokaw said.
Williams called him "ag
GREssively unfancy."
Our hearts are broken," said Mitchell, who appeared emotional at times as she recalled her long-time colleague.
Bob Schieffer, Russert's competitor on CBS' "Face the Nation," said the two men delighted in scooping each other.
"When you slipped one past ol' Russert," he said, "you felt as though you had hit a home run off the best pitcher in the league. I just loved Tim and I will miss him more than I can say."
Russert Suffers Heart Attack, Collapses At Work
Russert collapsed while preparing for his show at NBC's studios across town from the White House. Russert's internist, Michael A. Newman, said cholesterol plaque had ruptured in an artery, causing sudden coronary thrombosis. Resuscitation was begun immediately and continued at Sibley Memorial Hospital, to no avail.
Wednesday at 4 p.m.: Watch Memorial Service Live From Kennedy Center On NBC4, nbc4.com
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Newman said an autopsy showed that Russert had an enlarged heart, NBC reported. Russert had been diagnosed with asymptomatic coronary artery disease, which he was controlling with medication and exercise, the doctor said.
Russert wrote two New York Times #1 bestsellers -- "Big Russ and Me" and "Wisdom of Our Fathers." "Big Russ and Me" was about his relationship with his father.
In a
piece Russert contributed to Oprah Winfrey's Web site, he wrote about his son, Luke, "I pray that I've taught him to make good decisions and given him strong moral grounding to do the right thing. Because, ever since August 22, 1985, at 7:11 p.m., I've known that when my life is over, there's nothing more I'll be judged on than what kind of father I was."
Russert had just returned from Italy, where he was on vacation with his wife and son to celebrate his son's graduation from college.
Russert took over "Meet the Press" in December 1991 and hosted it longer than anyone else. It became the most watched Sunday morning interview program in the country. It is the longest-running program in television history.
Under his stewardship, "Meet the Press" became not only the top-rated Sunday talk show, but a major part of the political process. One frequent guest once called it the "Russert primary."
His signature trait there was an unrelenting style of questioning that made some politicians reluctant to appear, yet confident that they could claim extra credibility if they survived his grilling intact.
He even made a prop famous: During the dizzying coverage of Election Night 2000, Russert ditched high-tech devices in favor of an erasable slate and
GREase pencil, scribbling vote results while trying to make sense of them. The slate is now on public display in a Washington museum.
This year, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
On Sunday, Russert was to have interviewed Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a national co-chair of Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign, and Joe Biden, D-Del., an Obama supporter, in a debate format as surrogates for the two presidential candidates.
Praise flowed quickly from those who knew Russert across the television interview room.
"Tim was a man of many passions -- his family most of all, his faith, his country, political journalism, baseball and the Buffalo Bills," Brokaw said in a statement released Friday evening. "As a working class Irish-American with a Jesuit education his range was wide and deep -- from the sensibilities of blue-collar voters to the politics of the Vatican, from the power plays on Capitol Hill to the power plays on network television.
"Almost all of our conversations, and they went on every day, ended with some version of, 'Can you believe how lucky we are to be doing this?'"
"He was a giant in our company, in our lives, and in the combined fields of journalism and politics," Williams said. "He was my friend for many years and my on-air partner during the most exciting political year in generations. The members of Tim's NBC News family are thinking only of the members of Tim's own family in the wake of this staggering, overpowering and sudden loss."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Russert was "the best in the business at keeping his interview subjects honest."
"There wasn't a better interviewer in television," Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential contender, told reporters in Ohio.
Republican Sen. John McCain, of Arizona, Obama's rival for the White House, hailed Russert as the "pre-eminent journalist of his generation."
Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the House Republican leader, said Russert was "one of the smartest, toughest television news journalists of all time .... I can say from experience that joining Tim on Meet The Press was one of the
GREatest tests any public official could face."
Carl P. Leubsdorf, president of the Gridiron Club, an organization of journalists, said in a statement, "It was a measure of the de
GREe to which Tim Russert was respected in the journalistic world that he was the first broadcaster elected to membership in the Gridiron Club after the rules were changed in 2004 to end our century-old restriction to print journalists.
"He was an enthusiastic member and a willing participant in our shows. His fellow Gridiron members join with all of those who knew and respected Tim in mourning his untimely death."
"Tim will be sorely missed because his years as Senate staffer and probing TV journalist gave him special insights on political and governmental issues," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. "Had he chosen law as a career, his cross-examination would have made him a star in that field as well."
"We lost one of the
GREat ones today," said Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., who appeared on "Meet the Press" with Russert four times. "Tim Russert exemplified what is best about journalism. He was fair. He was hard-hitting. He was informed. And he came at his tasks with a smile, a sense of joy and humor that urged us all toward comity and cooperation. He was a giant in the news business, a pillar of the Washington scene, a terrific sports fan and family man and a genuinely good person who will be missed."
"I am deeply saddened and shocked by the news today of Tim Russert's passing," Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said. "Our thoughts, and the thoughts of all Marylanders, are with his family, friends, and colleagues on this difficult day. As one of journalism's most recognizable and enduring talents, his presence will be sorely missed as we mourn his passing with the rest of the nation, indeed the world."
"On behalf of the residents of the District of Columbia, I want to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Tim Russert," said Mayor Adrian Fenty. "He was a gifted journalist and a guide to the American political system for millions of television viewers. He was also a District resident and fixture in the nation's capital for decades. We were privileged to have him be a part of our community and will miss him
GREatly."
"Many Washingtonians share my deep sadness over the loss of Tim Russert, who lived and worked in the District of Columbia," said D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray. "We looked forward to his intuitive commentary, particularly during the presidential campaign, every Sunday on 'Meet the Press' and at many other forums. Aside from his political prowess, Washington was aware of his devout Catholic faith and compassionate concern for people in need. During my work as executive director of Covenant House, I crossed paths with Mr. Russert and witnessed his support for the work of the organization. The Sunday ritual just won't be the same. We'll miss the trademark Russert sign-off: 'If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.'"
Russert was an avid sports fan, with a well-known passion for the NFL's Buffalo Bills and the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. He also was a supporter of the Washington Nationals.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of renowned journalist Tim Russert," read a statement released by the Nationals organization. "Tim was a dedicated friend and fan of the Washington Nationals. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Russert family during this time of
GREat loss."
"He'll be remembered as a
GREat human being, a loving father and family man," said Washington Wizards Chairman Abe Pollin. "We will miss his excitement, enthusiasm and presence on the sidelines of Wizards games. We loved him very much."
He was born in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 7, 1950. He graduated from Canisius High School, John Carroll University and with honors from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He was admitted to the bar in New York and D.C.
Before joining NBC in 1984, Russert served as counselor in the New York Gov. Mario Cuomo's office in Albany in 1983 and 1984 and as special counsel in the U.S. Senate from 1977 to 1982.
In 1988, he moved to Washington as NBC's bureau chief and a senior vice president.
Russert had Buffalo's blue collar roots, a Jesuit education, a law de
GREe and a Democratic pedigree that came from his turn as an aide to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York.
Russert had dozens of honorary college de
GREes and numerous professional awards.
He won an Emmy for his role in the coverage of President Ronald Reagan's funeral in 2004.
Russert is survived by his wife, Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair magazine, and their son, Luke.
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