By Tammy J. Gay

Hugh Downs, who left "20/20" in September 1999, is one of the most familiar American television news personalities in the history of the medium. In 1985, Downs was certified by the "Guiness Book of World Records" as holding the record for the greatest number of hours on network commercial television. Downs was also the host of the NBC morning program "Today" for nine years.

Sept. 18, 2002 (Lexington, Ky.) -- The University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging hosted a roundtable discussion with Hugh Downs, former co-anchor of "ABC News" and "20/20," and UK journalism and gerontology students today.
Downs was in Lexington to speak at the 16th annual UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Foundation dinner at Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington.

The dinner is the foundation's major fund-raiser of the year. Downs, who left "20/20" in September 1999, is one of the most familiar American television news personalities in the history of the medium. In 1985, Downs was certified by the "Guiness Book of World Records" as holding the record for the greatest number of hours on network commercial television. Downs was also the host of the NBC morning program "Today" for nine years. He holds a post-master's degree in gerontology from Hunter College and a Certificate in Geriatric Medicine from Mt. Sinai Medical School.

UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging opened in 1979 thanks to a $1 million gift from the John Y. and Eleanor Brown Foundation and a matching gift from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The center was named in honor of Colonel Harlan Sanders and John Y. Brown Sr.

Sanders-Brown is one of the 10 original Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A milestone was reached this year when Sanders-Brown received notice of the institute's renewed funding through 2005, marking 20 years of continuous NIH support. The current NIH grant provides approximately $1.5 million to the center each year.

A Commonwealth of Kentucky Center of Excellence and a University Center of Excellence in Stroke, Sanders-Brown is one of only 30 geriatric education centers in the United States with more than 150 faculty and staff working to solve the many issues facing senior adults today.

The center's faculty and staff are dedicated to providing a more complete understanding of the aging process and of Alzheimer's disease, stroke and other conditions that primarily affect older adults.