Walter Cronkite died last week and a little part of me died with him.
For most of my adult life I’ve been an ardent supporter of and believer in the power of journalism. In fact, when it became clear that I wasn’t going to be getting into medical school, I decided to become a print reporter. After all, I was nosy and I liked to gossip so I figured it was a natural fit. I’ve always admired people like Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow. People who went out, reported the heck out of a story, found out the truth and then came back to tell the nation what they found.
The truth is a powerful disinfectant. It can squash a number of cockroaches.
Back in the late 1980s, I was a reporter for the FLORIDA TODAY newspaper in Melbourne, FL. It was located just south of the Kennedy Space Center complex, so we were heavily into coverage of any sort of space event. And, one day, boy did we have an event.
Five of the surviving Mercury astronauts, the first Americans into space, and Walter Cronkite, a man fascinated by space and who was one of the program’s biggest supporters, all came together to do a charity event. I was able to meet all of them. I got autographs and generally behaved like the little fanboy that I am.
The Mercury astronauts were what you might expect. Strong, manly and full of that gung-ho spirit.
Walter Cronkite was a different story. When I first met him, he looked like an old man, stooped, slow and quavering. He looked his age and more.
And then something wonderful happened. He shuffled up onto the dais and took his place behind the podium.
As he adjusted the microphone, his back straightened. His face smoothed out from the wrinkled map of years I’d seen just seconds before. He stood tall. Straight. An honest-to-god twinkle came into his eye and he smiled. Lord how he smiled.
He stood there, under the gaze of hundreds of people, and he gave us the news. Just like he had for 19 years as the CBS Evening News anchor. He told us how it was, what it could be and how we could make it happen. It was one of the most inspiring 10 minutes of my life.
When his talk was over, you could see him shut down. The light leaked out of his eyes and the weight of his years settled once more onto his shoulders. He shuffled off the dais and took his seat in the audience. Once again, just part of the crowd.
Walter Cronkite was an amazing man. He spoke truth to power. He was a man I looked up to and I already feel smaller, knowing he’s gone for good.
– Richard
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