Remembering Walter Cronkite
He never sold a single record. He never performed in concert. He never made the headlines of Entertainment Tonight, and he was never placed in the public spotlight for questionable acts of morality. Yet he truly did bring the people of this world together. He broke the racial barriers like no man or woman has ever done before bringing all races, religions, and nationalities together. He caused people to listen and to respond simply by the words he spoke.
He was respected for his honesty, integrity, willingness to challenge the norm, for his compassion in times of difficulty, and for his pride in country when great achievements were accomplished.
He never moonwalked, but he did proudly walk on the moon with all of America on July 20, 1969. He never wore clothes with flashy military imagery, but he did wear the fatigues of Army green while reporting his findings of the Vietnam war effort. He was never called the “King” of anything, but “Uncle” Walter was a predominate news voice in America and will be remembered for his faithful reporting of such events as the Cuban Missile Crises, the Assignation of President Kennedy, the moon landing of Apollo 11, Watergate, and so much more.
We lost a true American icon this week. Walter Cronkite was like no other celebrity in my life time. There were times when I disagreed with him, there were times when I cried with him, there were times when I cheered with him. And when he spoke, I listened, as did all of America and the world.
I, for one, will miss the integrity, professionalism, honesty, compassion, and moral compass that Walter Cronkite brought to Journalism. His death was not surrounded in pomp and ceremony, national television did not preempt all other broadcast in favor of covering his funeral, and tickets were not sold on Ebay to attend the visitation, but his legacy will endure for many centuries to come. Good bye Walter.
And that’s the way it is, July 21, 2009.
To Your Success,
