November 4 - Walter Cronkite
November 4, 2024
“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”
I grew up watching Walter Cronkite and always enjoyed his newscasts. He was born November 4, 1916 (in St. Joseph, MO) & passed away July 17, 2009 (in NYC). He served as the anchorman for CBS Evening News from 1962-1981. He was known as “the most trusted man in America” after an opinion poll. He reported on events from 1937-1981, including bombings in WWII, the Nuremberg Trials, the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the Hostage Crisis - just to name a few. His catchphrase was, “And that’s the way it is.”
He dropped out of college in 1935 (junior year) and started working at a newspaper covering news and sports. He met his wife while working as a sports announcer in Kansas City, MO, where he was known as “Walter Wilcox.” He joined the United Press International in 1937, where he became one of the top American reporters in WWII - he covered battles in North Africa and Europe. He received a job offer from CBS News to join the Murrow Boys team of war correspondents, but UP offered him more money, so he stayed, angering Murrow (the feud would last for years).
He was one of the 8 journalists chosen by the US Army Air Forces to fly bombing raids over Germany - known as The Writing 69th (where he fired a machine gun at a German Fighter and also landed a glider with the 101st Airborne Division and he covered the Battle of the Bulge).
He eventually worked for Murrow for CBS News and became their anchor. He hosted “You Are There,” where he is known for the lines: “What sort of day was it? A day like all days, filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times…and you were there.” He eventually anchored CBS’s nightly news, where he became an icon.
He was the one who broke the news to the world when JFK was assassinated on November 22, 1963, but because they were having technical issues with their TVs, it ended up being broadcast over their radio network. After he retired from anchor at CBS, he broadcasted as a special correspondent for various new stations, including CNN and NPR, & he even anchored the second space flight by John Glenn in 1988. He also did voice-overs for multiple programs, made guest TV appearances, and was politically active. He was known for criticizing campaign finance (elections can “be purchased” by special interests) & said that European democracies give their politicians free airtime. Only 7 do not - Ecuador, Honduras, Trinidad & Tobago, Tanzania, Malaysia, Taiwan, & the United States. He was known for saying, “The failure to give free airtime for our political campaigns endangers our democracy.”
A few (of many) Awards and honors: 1968: Carr Van Anda Award; 1970: “Freedom of the Press,” George Polk Award, and Paul White Award; 1981: “Presidential Medal of Freedom” by Jimmy Carter; 1985: Inducted into Academy of TV Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame; 1989: Four Freedoms Award for the Freedom of Speech; 2006: First non-astronaut to receive NASA’s Ambassador of Exploration Award. Four Peabody’s.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Cronkite and https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/us/18cronkite.html.
Photo: “Autumn near Conway Summit” - The area at and near #ConwaySummit on the #EasternSierra is always amazing, especially in autumn. The fall colors were glorious to see. Wašišiw Ɂítdeʔ (Washoe) & Nüümü Ancestral Homeland. October 2024. Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70 lens.