Crow's Pick For Saturday, July 18 ~ Pilgrim remembers Walter Cronkite

[Crow]

I grew up watching and listening to Walter Cronkite. The Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, Watergate-- when I remember these incidents I remember them enfolded in the tones of his voice, as Pilgrim said. Cronkite was one of those folks I felt an inherent respect for, and that was a rare feeling. Even at an early age I sensed his integrity, though it took me many years to understand and fully appreciate it's worth. Goodbye, Walter. You were loved and respected, and now your loss is greatly mourned.

And well said, Pilgrim.

I was only 11 years old when Mr. Cronkite signed off with that iconic tag for the last time. And yet my awareness of 20th century history from world war II on is forever linked to images of this, "the most trusted man in America."

World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan, Gemini, Mercury, Apollo, the Space Shuttle, all of these events carry with them the baritone sounds of Cronkite's commentary. As I read through the paper this morning and remembered some of his most memorable on air moments, "From Dallas, the flash apparently official..."; "I think we have a bunch of Thugs here, Dan..."; "Neil Armstrong, 38 years old..." I actually started to weep. Great big tears of nostalgia and loss.

This is an age when we have all too often mistaken pop celebrity for greatness in our confusion of sentimentality with true sentiment. Walter Cronkite, on the other hand, was more than celebrity. He was authentic, real, and trustworthy bringing us with him through the defining moments of our culture and of history for the past 92 years. He was able to do it with out exploiting his own personality and with out ever thinking he was more than he was: another human being on the journey with the rest of us.

In some way, with Cronkite's passing, all the events of the last century really are History now. Up until now we have, in some sense, been living in an in between time as builders and boomers wrestle with x'ers for the American inheritance that Cronkite reported on so completely.

Can you see him in your minds eye? His voice choking as he slides his glasses slowly down off his nose to tell us our president is dead? Can you see the laughter in his eyes and the joy in his voice as he responded to those first steps on the moon? Can you hear his patriotic assent to something less than victory in Viet Nam? So can a million other Americans this morning. And with a profound sense of loss, and tears tugging at our eyes we hear him say one last time...."and that's the way it is..."

[Michelle]

Great post, Pilgrim. Great pick, Crow.

[Pilgrim]

thanks Crow. I appreciate it.