And that's the way it is...

The passing of CBS anchorman and journalist Walter Cronkite got me to thinking--thinking about my profession and the enduring legacy this remarkable man left.

I got the chance to hear Cronkite speak while I was in college. While I really don't remember much of what he said, I do remember thinking that his wit and mind was so sharp I could hardly believe I was listening to a man in his late 80s. I also remember thinking, "I wish this man was my grandpa." I could listen to Mr. Cronkite tell stories for hours on end. After all, he was the master storyteller wasn't he?

I just watched the special CBS aired remembering Cronkite. It touched on his most talked about moments in history...the first to break the news of President Kennedy's death, man on the moon, Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, getting the President of Egypt and the Prime Minister of Israel to meet, and of course his comments that turned the tide of the Vietnam War. His presence through these events made Cronkite "the most trusted man in America."

I'm proud to share my Missouri roots with this man, but honored to even attempt to follow in his footsteps as a journalist. No one will ever be able to fill his shoes or even lace a shoelace, for he was a giant.

In an interview for the Newseum, Cronkite was asked about his greatest regret. Besides not expanding the 30 minute CBS Evening News to an hour during primetime, he said, "What do I regret? Well, I regret that in our attempt to establish some standards, we didn't make them stick. We couldn't find a way to pass them on to another generation."

Well, Mr. Cronkite you did set a standard. You set a standard in the way you approached news every day--to get the story, "fast, accurate, and unbiased." And if needed, tell the people what they need to hear, not necessarily what they want to hear.

To learn more about Walter Cronkite, check out the links below courtesy SPJ.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications: Cronkite's Bio
YouTube: Walter Cronkite Interviews and Reports
Walter Cronkite's NPR Essays
Arizona State University: Resources for Covering CronkiteASU's journalism school is named for Cronkite. Site features video clips, photo galleries and contact numbers for sources.
CBS News: Walter Cronkite's DeathIncludes video, photo essays and more.
Google News: Walter Cronkite's Death
Blogs About Walter Cronkite's Death
Walter Cronkite Quotes
Poynter: Newspaper Front Pages of Cronkite's Death
Poynter: What Walter Cronkite Did for Journalism
Chicago Sun-Times: Robert Feder on Cronkite's Death

Celebrating Cronkite while igoring what he did

Photo Courtesy: CBS