Godfrey Sperling Jr. was born in
Long Beach, California, on September 25, 1915. He grew up in
Urbana, Illinois, and graduated from the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As a child he was often referred to by the nickname "Budge", which would stick for the rest of his life. Sperling began working for
The Christian Science Monitor (CSM) in 1946. Sperling was also a member of the
Gridiron Club.
Breakfasts From 1966 to 2001, Sperling hosted 3,241 breakfasts in
Washington, D.C. which were attended by journalists and politicians. For their first few years, the breakfasts were held at the
National Press Club, and limited to twenty attendees; later on they were often held at the
Carlton Hotel.
Later career and death Sperling retired from journalism in September 2005. He died on September 11, 2013. Sperling's papers are held by the
University of Illinois. == References ==