LJWorld.com weblogs The Center of the Universe
Posted
by Alia Ahmed
July 19, 2009 at 9:22 a.m.
That's The Way It Is
When I was growing up in north-central Kansas, my family watched the CBS news with Walter Cronkite on our black and white television set faithfully every evening. As a carefree and rather oblivious young child, most of the time I paid little attention to what Walter Cronkite had to say. I knew to be quiet or play in my room so my parents could watch the news.
There were times, however, that the excitement or seriousness in the tone of his voice drew me to look up or come out of my bedroom to see what he had to say. Probably one of my first memories of listening and watching Walter Cronkite was in the aftermath of the John F. Kennedy's assassination. We had been sent home early from school on that November 22, 1963 after hearing an announcement from our fourth grade teacher, Ms. Kinter, about the shooting of President Kennedy.
I'm not sure I could even wrap my 9- year old mind around the announcement that was made in the class. I was confused by the teacher's tears and the tears of some of my classmates, particularly Catholic classmates. Retrospectively, I know understand why Catholic children may have been more aware of who John F. Kennedy was and the historic nature of his presidency. In the same way, even very young minority children may be more aware of President Obama now. I wonder what Cronkite thought of yet another historic occasion that happened in his lifetime.
Walter Cronkite seemed to understand and appreciate when historic events were unfolding in front of him. Over the past few days, we've reflected on his impact on the nation. At times of great achievement, such as Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon, he shared his excitement with his viewers. He shared and modeled a way for a country to grieve when our president was assassinated.
Thank you, Walter Cronkite, for sharing the events of the past five decades with us. You'll be missed by your family, friends and ordinary citizens.
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Comments
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Irish (Leslie Swearingen) says…
I agree with you. I had fallen on the ice the day that Kennedy was killed and suffered a concussion.
When I got home from the doctors I turned on the television and left the door to my room open so it could see it as I was changing clothes.
I was just in the act of pulling down the zipper on my green and yellow dress when I heard the report.
I was stunned. It was awful.
Reporters are human too and it is nice when they show that side.
Logan72 (Alia Ahmed) says…
Irish,
That's incredible that you even remember what you were wearing the day JFK was assassinated, particularly since you had sustained a concussion! The intricacies of our memories are interesting.
liggyon (David Lignell) says…
My earliest memories of Walter Cronkite were of the Watergate coverage, which I really didn't understand at the time. Still, I remember my parents watching him on the news on our black and white RCA. I remember other times when my brother would pull the TV knob off when he wanted to watch a certain station. I would have to find the pliers to turn the station afterwards.
Logan72 (Alia Ahmed) says…
David,
It's interesting that on the CBS Sunday Morning show this morning, they talked about the more in-depth coverage Cronkite devoted to the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover-up than other anchors at the time. He also decided to be more forthright about how certain aspects of the the Vietnam War were going than the Johnson administration would have preferred. He seemed like a man of integrity who was devoted to his career and his family.
autie (anonymous) says…
My most vivid memories of Cronkite was from watching the CBS evening news and Viet Nam coverage most of the time.
Logan72 (Alia Ahmed) says…
autie,
I, too, watched those reports by Cronkite. They were tough to watch and had to be a heck of a lot tougher to live it firsthand.
dklamet (Dave Klamet) says…
I remember his coverage of space missions. He was the narrator for the IMAX movie "The Dream is Alive", about the Space Shuttle. His voice and manner, at least for me, will always be closely linked to those exciting days.
Logan72 (Alia Ahmed) says…
Dave,
I've enjoyed watching the clips of Cronkite covering the Apollo landing on the moon. He was such a big kid about it himself, his enthusiasm was infectious. Did you hear that the astronauts in space right now sent a tribute to him today?. He was cremated and some think it would be fitting to send his ashes up with another space mission.
justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…
Alia, so glad you did this blog topic as Walter certainly deserves to be thought about. He paved the way for so many differing aspects of how ethics in journalism and television broadcasting should be approached.
All those who observed his work and upstanding professionalism were influenced throughout their lifetimes by this seemingly simple man.
It gives me pause to consider how I should do everything in my life.....he is missed, but oh what a legacy!
Logan72 (Alia Ahmed) says…
Ronda,
I agree. He was an honorable journalist and an honorable man. He is a shining example of integrity.
justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…
Yes, Alia. I sure hope that image we have of him doesn't get spoiled by anything that comes out about him "after the fact".
I suspect if there was any available dirt, it would have long ago been cast to the public.
I would love to read some books about his life.
Anyone have one that they would care to recommend?
Logan72 (Alia Ahmed) says…
Ronda,
While I was searching for something about Cronkite this weekend, I did come across a blog in which the author was critical about Cronkite's position he took regarding the Tet offensive in Vietnam and the author said Cronkite was a watershed to the MSM bias.
There are definitely those Americans who think it is unpatriotic to criticize or question anything having to do with war we are engaged in. Others feel it is their patriotic duty to lift their voices in dissent. Realistically, it depends on which side of the fence you're on relative to the party in power. Over the past eight years, liberals have been accused of being traitors and unpatriotic for being critical of GWB and his policies and now those same people calling them unpatriotic feel it is their patriotic duty to be critical of BHO and his poliices.
The author of the blog critical of Cronkite identified himself as a Vietnam vet. Vietnam veterans are a diverse group, just as Americans as a whole are. Some are going to be critical of Cronkite for speaking out while others probably felt it was about time someone presented another perspective on the war. There are numerous Vietnam veterans who comment on stories and blogs in the LJW, it would be interesting to hear their perspectives. Here's a link to the blog I mentioned above.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/0...
femail (Linda Hanney) says…
David said, "voice and manner." I know Walter Cronkite has influenced my life because I only have to close my eyes and his voice and manner come to mind clearly. Consequently, it was his reporting of the major stories I remember. Good post, Alia.
Logan72 (Alia Ahmed) says…
Thanks, Linda. I agree, his voice is very distinct and recognizable. I saw a clip this weekend of an appearance he made on "What's My Line?" It was so comical how he disguised his voice in this falsetto tone.
http://www.casttv.com/video/k6q39n1/w...