2011 Anoka High School Hall of Fame Recipient Biography Gretchen Carlson – Class of 1984

As a high school student Gretchen was Valedictorian of her graduating class and a member of the National Honor Society. Her other activities include theatre where she was the lead in the musical "South Pacific." This Anoka High School Senior Homecoming Attendant was named Miss T.E.E.N. Minnesota and was first runner-up in the National competition. Attending Stanford University, she graduated Cum Laude and also studied at Oxford University in England.

Gretchen was an accomplished violinist winning numerous local and national competitions. She performed as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra as an 8th grader and was the Concertmistress for the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony. She spent five summers studying at the prestigious Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado. Winner of several Concerto Competitions at the MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis, she was also featured as a soloist with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

In 1989, Gretchen became the first classical violinist ever to win the Miss America Pageant after being crowned Miss Minnesota in 1988. She embarked on a career in journalism which has taken her to Richmond, Virginia, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas and New York to anchor "The Saturday Early Show" on CBS. She is currently the host of "Fox and Friends" on the Fox News Channel, the #1 cable morning news program in the nation.

Gretchen remains a staunch advocate of the arts and volunteers her time at church and in her community. She also serves as a celebrity spokesperson for the March of Dimes and is a member of the Miss America Organization Board of Directors.