Farewell Walter Cronkite
A Legendary Broadcast Journalist Signs Off
Born November 4, 1916 in St. Joseph, Missouri, Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. got his start in journalism while he attended college at the University of Texas. It was at the school in Austin, Texas that Walter started to dig beneath the surface of a story. During this time he wrote news and sports stories for The Daily Texan.
Early Years With Walter Cronkite
The journey had begun. Walter Cronkite fell in love with the power of uncovering an engaging story. After The Daily Texan, he wrote for The Houston Post. Two years later in 1935 Walter dropped out of college and pursued broadcast journalism full-time. His first broadcast journalism job came when he started working as a radio announcer at KYW in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
He remained on the radio at KYW for two years, until 1937 at which time he started working with the United Press. In 1942 after Japan launched an attack on Pearl Harbor, the war that initially started between Germany and other European nations like France and Poland drew in multiple world militaries.
Into the fire and terror of raging World War II battles, Walter Cronkite was sent. His coverage of the war got him noticed by major news bureaus. After the war ended in 1945, Walter continued to work with United Press until 1950 when he was hired by CBS News.
The CBS News Legacy
Edward Roscoe Murrow, a gritty broadcast journalist Walter admired, hired the young up and comer into CBS. It was a genius move. Years later it would seem like the passing of a torch when Edward died in 1965.
Walter Cronkite’s career with CBS News spanned for more than three decades. It started during one of the most memorable periods in broadcast journalism. In 1962 the gifted journalist launched the first half hour CBS Evening News broadcast. The Internet was not yet available. Besides radio and newspapers, the nightly television news was the main place that Americans turned to keep abreast of what was going on in the world.
Each night just around dinner time there Walter Cronkite was in his gray suit. His voice was sure, like the words that he spoke had been confirmed and validated by the station’s fact checkers numerous times. He looked right into the camera and delivered the news like a trusted friend. His talent and his straight forward style shined brightest during some of America’s most challenging years.
Walter Cronkite Covers Historic Events
If ever a journalist could remain neutral during the Civil Rights Movement, it was Walter Cronkite. He told it the way it was. He presented each story and person that he covered with an admirable measure of respect. For this he was respected and appreciated by Americans from all walks of life and cultures.
During his tenure with CBS News, Walter covered several memorable events that shaped America and the rest of the world including President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the Vietnam War, Apollo 11’s historic landing on the moon and Watergate. Long before he retired in 1981, he became known as “the most trusted man in America.”
Walter Cronkite was known for being fair in his personal and professional lives. From March 30, 1940 until her passing on March 16, 2005, he was married to Betsy Maxwell. Together the couple had three children, two daughters and one son: Kathy, Nancy and Walter III.
In 1996 Walter penned his autobiography A Reporter’s Life. He continued to travel and speak publicly until his health began to deteriorate earlier in the year. Walter Cronkite was 92 years old at the time of his passing.
Sources:
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. 17 July 2009.
Walter Cronkite
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