And That's the Way It Was

Every morning I cruise the various TV stations to find out what’s going on. This morning everyone was focusing exclusively on the passing of legendary news anchor Walter Cronkite. He served as CBS news anchor from 1962 to 1981. I started thinking about all the news he brought to everyone’s attention during that period of time-one of the most volatile periods in American history. It was amazing. Almost immediately after he started, there was the John F. Kennedy assassination. Then there was the Viet Nam war, civil rights unrest/riots and the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert Kennedy and Malcolm X. At the end of the 60’s he brought us the story of the American lunar landing. After that there was more Viet Nam and the whole Watergate thing leading to Nixon’s resignation. During all of that time Cronkite emerged as the ‘go to’ guy for what’s happening. Few people doubted him or questioned his integrity. He was simply the ultimate authority on what’s happening. Young folks today of course don’t remember him or never knew who he was to begin with. There’s isn’t really one particular person of his caliber now on the scene and probably never will be again because of the changing nature of television. Katie Couric, Brian Williams and Charles Gibson do a good enough job delivering the news but I don’t think anyone will remember them in the same way I & others my age do of Walter Cronkite. Toward the end of his life, he was very ill but it was nice to hear that for most of his retirement he was able to enjoy sailing which he loved to do. RIP, Walter. You done good! And that's the way it is.