posted 05-16-2007 08:33 PM               

From CBSNews.com:

quote:

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It is the rare "celebrity" who is as reverentially talked about by Mike Wallace and Bill Clinton as by George Clooney and Robin Williams. Walter Cronkite, now 90 years of age, fits that bill.

The iconic newsman’s colleagues and friends will celebrate his professional and personal lives in a one-hour primetime special to be broadcast Friday, May 18 (8 p.m.ET/PT), on the CBS Television Network.

CBS News colleagues Don Hewitt, Dan Rather, Morley Safer and Wallace take viewers behind the headlines that Cronkite masterfully reported to reveal the professionalism, dedication and extraordinary influence of the man they knew so well.

Competitors Ted Koppel, Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters, as well as the newest generation of anchors -- Katie Couric, Charles Gibson and Brian Williams -- talk about the unique role Cronkite played in American culture and how he continues to influence them today.

But, lest viewers think "the most trusted man in America" was one-dimensional and singularly obsessed with the news, some of Cronkite’s personal friends, including actor/comedian Williams, actor/director Clooney and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, as well as President Bill Clinton and filmmaker Spike Lee, share poignant personal thoughts and revealing recollections of the newsman’s "other side."

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posted 05-17-2007 06:59 AM               

I was as thrilled to meet him as I was meeting astronauts. I thanked him for "taking me" to the Moon. He thanked me for watching and autographed my program cover.

And that's the way it was.

posted 05-17-2007 08:40 AM               

One day a few months later one of those big gray CBS envelopes showed up, and inside was a glossy photo signed by Uncle Walter, with my name and the added inscription, "Good luck in your journalism career!" also in his hand. To this day it's one of the things I would grab first if anything unfortunate happened.

(And I kept my end of the bargain -- after work in broadcasting and journalism, I ended up as a journalism educator!)

posted 05-20-2007 08:30 AM               

A few years back I was doing some research about an old friend of his from WWII days and only half-seriously contacted CBS to see if he would give me a "quote".

You can imagine my surprise when after a few discussions with some of his staff about my request I received a telephone call from Mr. Cronkite himself and had a wonderful 20 minute interview with the great man.

This was something totally unexpected considering I live across the Atlantic in Ireland!