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Walter Cronkite Tribute
Walter Cronkite Tribute
| With the passing of Walter Cronkite goes the last true journalist, in the truest sense of the word. Walter Cronkite was a reporter and journalist of integrity. He will be sorely missed, but perhaps the journalists of today will stop to take a page from his book of what a true journalist is and should be. Here's to you Mr. Cronkite! - Diane Harder |
| I am now nearing the age of 80. So most of my life coincided with his career at CBS. When he retired, far too soon, like millions "of viewers I felt as if I had lost a friend. I really believed his sign off "and that's the way it is." Like many newsman of the past one never knew what his own political viewpoints were. He stuck to the credo of objectivity. After he retired those who continued to follow him learned about his own political viewpoints. It pleased "liberals" to learn he was one of us. Perhaps it is unfair to describe him as a liberal, a term that the Republican Party turned into a slur. Perhaps it would be closer to the truth to describe Walter Cronkite as a citizen who truly believed that the Constitution, the ideas of tolerance, fairness empathy, and just plain decency, in other words the the highest ideals of the U.S. polity, were the essence of this great man. Even if the news and particularly the Broadcast media has fallen short of his standards there are millions of Americans, who respected him, many of who carry his flame with pride. - arthur berney |
| I met Walter Cronkite several years ago. I was with my girlfriend in Beverly Hills, CA in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. I had just moved to California and we were going to go on a site seeing tour of the area. We were in line to ask the manager if we could leave her son's car seat with them while we waited for a rental car and toured the area. Her son was about 2 and as toddlers do, he grasped the pant leg of the gentleman in line in front of us to use to pull himself into a standing position. I noticed the gentleman and his wife were older and involved in their own conversation. When the gentleman noticed the tug on his pant leg, he turned around, smiled and said, “Why, hello there little fellow.” He then made eye contact with me, smiled and said, “Hello. How are you today?” I realised that it was Walter Cronkite. I managed to stammer that I was fine and asked him how he was, etc. We chatted for about 5-10 min. about the weather, etc. He spoke to the manager and he and his wife went in the elevator and disappeared. My girlfriend was tending to her son and missed the whole exchange. I told her that she missed Walter Cronkite and she freaked out. While he and I chatted, he made me feel like I was the most important person in the world at that time. I later found out he was in town to attend a Grateful Dead concert. I will always remember his kindness and interest for the rest of my life. He made me feel special and that he thought I was important. So long, Uncle Walter. I will miss you. - Samuel Powers |
| So many others have expressed my feelings for Walter Cronkite. I, too, grew up watching his newscasts, and particularly remember his reporting of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I was glued to the black and white TV for days, and his humanness at the loss of our president was like having a dear uncle talking to me in my living room. I honor the man who epitomized quality journalism for all of my life. - Diana Halpenny |
| I wish we still had a reporter with the same integrety as Mr. Conkite. He was the greatest, because of him we once had a honest, true reporter. We will miss him greatly. May God bless him, and keep him. Jody - Jody Vasquez |
| There will never be a reporter in America as beloved and respected as Walter Cronkite. I never missed his evening news going back to when TV was B&W. I will remember him fondly and miss him dearly. Amen and Shalom Walter! ~~ Mark - Mark Cappetta |
| Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow, two giants that made a difference in journalism and for our country. Oh that we had them now! - Howard Watkins |
| I was fortune enough to have spent some time with Walter in Martha's Vineyard over a number of years. He was a warm, caring person who genuinely cared about all people. Walter was a channel marker in the harbor of human values. His guidance will be greatly missed. - Darryl Glatthorn - Darryl Glatthorn |
| I had the personal pruvelege to meet Walter through a phone conversation 4years ago. He returned my call and we spoke for an hour about the excitement we both felt for sailing and I shared my experiences on his new yacht ,which coincidently was my former one the "Skeets". There was an instant like and gentleness filled with his special humor and respect and curiousity. He invited me to visit and share a day on the sailing ship . I will always remember his soft deep voice and twinkling eyes and acutal interest in my life whild sharing much of his own personal stories and how he still missed his darling wife who had passed before we met. Honored and priveleged and so very fond of someone with whom I spent 8 hours . He loved when I said "the wind always rises when I am behind the wheel" and he laughed and urged me to just take it. Sure enough the wind did come up and so did our adventurous spirits. I will cherish the photos I have of us together and be thankful for his willingness and my courage to initiate our friendship. May the wind be stong behind your soul and hasten your deliverence to the next deadline. Always remembered. Skeets - Skeets Garfunkel Friekdin |
| Walter didn't hype the news - he just told it like it was. I liked that. When he did things in later years it was always good to see him and I was glad he was part of the Interfaith Alliance. - Juanita Spilker |
| I was born in the middle of the 20th century and Mr. Cronkite narrated all the pivotal moments of my formative years. I learned so much from his narratives. As I grew older and more discerning I appreciated even more the fact that he chose his words carefully, not for effect but for accuracy. He was the original AND THE TRUE "NO-SPIN" ZONE. He was the best. He believed in the separation of church and state and the true importance of the legitimacy of both. God Rest his beautiful soul. - Bonnie Thigpen |
| I deeply admire Walter Cronkite. He was patriotic, not jingoistic. His integrity and his great decency are humbling. He was never sensationalist, never crass, never sloppy or lazy in his journalism. He set an example of excellence to fellow journalists and Americans. I have no prayers; I am an atheist. His memory lives in my heart. Would that we had more like him, not only in journalism, but among our citizenry. HE was a gentleman. He was an outstanding American and human being. He enriched our lives. (Here I go, crying again.) Good NIght, Mr Cronkite. - Cynthia Ryan |
| THIS MAN WAS A GIANT IN HIS FIELD, BUT ALSO AS WONDERFUL MODEL FOR DIGNITY, OBJECTIVITY, PROFESSIONALISM, FAIRNESS, AND SIMPLY THE PURE GOODNESS THAT MANKIND CAN BE. BLESS HIM ON HIS NEW JOURNEY AND GENTLE THE FAMILY THAT IS LEFT BEHIND AS THEY MOVE ON IN THEIR LIVES WITHOUT HIM. - ANN CHANDLER |
| When I came here for my undergraduate studies I was forewarned about getting hooked to television, The only item I watched was the news. From 1962 until he retired Walter Cronkite was very special to me. His gentle ways reminded me of my father. Even to this day I responded to every note that came to me with his signature. There are very few of his kind in the world. May he rest in Peace! - Achamma Chandersekaran |
| I, like so many others who have written here, grew up watching and being informed by the legends of CBS News. Once in elementary school, one of my teachers asked me a question about current events and I quickly answered her. For whatever the reason, she did not like my answer and questioned me about the source of my information. I told her I heard it from Walter Cronkite and CBS News. She never again questioned my responses to current event issues! We in America were lucky to have the men of such stature as Walter Cronkite and 'Edward R. Morrow's Boys,of CBS News instead of many of the so called 'cookie cutter' anchors on television today - Ivan White |
| He was the news for me as a college student---I didn't watch anyone else if I was interested in a particular piece of real news...I thank him. - Jann Jeffrey |
| I grew up watching Walter Cronkite on the news and on the program "You are There". It was always disconcerting following news anchors after him, because none of them lived up to his integrity and ability to be so completely himself. His courage has not been met either as the way he covered really challenging and difficult news. May he always be remembered and as a model of the kind of reporter all could and should be. - Susan Ring |
| Farewell to one of the most honorable men who ever graced America with his presence. His refusal to submit to the Religious Right is but one example of the reasons he was and will remain beloved by his fellow countrymen of conscience. - Mary Stitt |
| Cronkite was one of the last reporters to just present the news without injecting his own personal biases or political leanings. He was an investigative reporter who went to great lengths to get it right. That's why he was so universally trusted and respected. News reporting has to get back to the standards he set. - James Mc Shane,Lcdr(ret) |
| To me, Walter Cronkite was the last of the true reporters -- no jokes, no repeating the same news over and over..truly a "committed truth teller" and unfortunately, the last of that breed! - Joanne P. Blair |
| I had never heard of the Interfaith Alliance, but when Walter Cronkite sent me a letter asking me to join, I did. His was the only validation I needed to see that this was a valuable organization with worthy goals. - Cherie Tucker |
| We lived aceoss from Mr. Cronkite in 1961 and 1962 it was on East 8th Street between Yor and East End Avenues whenever we were out on the way to Carl Schulz part and his Rolls was picking him up for work he always had a smile and a wave for us I proudly served in Viet Nam and always admired his astute candid and honest perspective of that dreaded War - Neil O'Connell |
| The Seperation of Church and State is so crucial to our freedom. Thank you for all your years of service and vigilence in keeping that wall strong. Most Americans have no idea or know what it means to maintain that seperation. David Lello - David Lello |
| The Interfaith Alliance will carry on the good work of Mr. C. I hope that more people in faith communities will see the need for this group. Citizensforchoice.org - Sharon OHARA |
| I would like to laud him for his obvious zest, especially with the Interfaith community... As for me, today, there is no greater need than bringing all people together beyond religious differences. May he rest in peace and may the love of everyone he touched eventually soothe the grief that is felt all over the planet. Thanks for this opportunity... Erik R. Nordgren, President of the Arrowhead Interfaith Council of Northeast Minnesota - Erik Nordgren |
| Many of us will never forget Walter Cronkite changing his mind on the war in Vietnam. Many who supported the war realized it was not just radicals who were against the war. - John Harvey |
| Walter Cronkite had a unique ability and proper vocabulary to best describea celebratory, tragic or historic event. Ultimately it was his voice for which we listened. - Bob Lemon |
| The world has lost another truly wonderful human being. If more people aspired to be like Walter Cronkite, the world would be a much more tolerant, humane and peaceful place. - Julie Motl |
| Thanks for being you! - Charles Joiner |
| Life will not be the same knowing that he is not here as a mentor to preserving the First Amendment. Without his voice to preserve journalistic integrity our nation will flounder in a sea of misrepresented "truths". Who will follow in his footsteps? Will there be a Walter Cronkite Award for Journalistic excellence and integrity? I, too, joined Interfaith Alliance after learning of his support and membership. In this world of foundations and committees with deceiving agendas, knowing Mr Cronkite was involved gave me peace of mind that I was in the right place. My hero has passed, may his family find comfort in knowing how much he was loved. - Jeannette Selan |
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