Walter Cronkite, THE Anchorman

I heard the news this evening that Walter Cronkite passed away. He was 92. He was the Anchor of the CBS Evening News for over 20 years, my formative years. That was in the day when there were ONLY 4 TV stations and only 3 of them had news. He was a huge part of my life. I grew up watching him on television. I remember seeing him on the day Pres. Kennedy was killed and somehow he comforted me with his soothing voice. In 1968 when I was just 14 years old I watched him try to explain the deaths of Martin Luther King and then Robert Kennedy just over a month later. That same year was the Democratic National Convention in Chicago with riots in the streets and anti-war demonstrations. They were days of darkness in our country where confusion was always prevalent. But so was Walter, nightly, telling the days events. I think I needed him at that time, we needed him because he had such a calming nature. And every now and then you'd see his sense of humor and humanity. On July 20, 1969 I watched the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon. I watched those scratchy black and white images but I recall hearing HIS voice explaining the whole thing and I heard real emotion in him
that day. He, also introduced me to the Beatles as they arrived in the US for the first time. And through his vision I watched the presidential elections from Kennedy to Reagan. I have so many videos in my mind of the 20 years that Walter Cronkite told me the news of the day, each day. It's so strange to remember back on the events, world events of my lifetime. He had such a remarkable voice with a sure, even cadence. But every now and then he would emphasize the first syllable of a word. I used to listen intently, just waiting to hear which word he would put the emphasis on. I just loved hearing him talk. To me he was the black and white man with a friendly mustache. And because he looked like my Uncle Dee, I felt that Walter Cronkite was a relative, too. He was family and now he is gone as so many of my family has gone before me. But it is OK because as long as these memories stay with me, he will, too. And now, as Walter would say, "Good night."