Walter Cronkite...America's most trusted newsman dies.

Walter Cronkite (photo wiki)

Walter Cronkite,"the most trusted man" in news broadcasting died tonight at the age of 92. Cronkite's longtime chief of staff, Marlene Adler, stated that Cronkite died at 7:42 p.m. in his Manhattan home, surrounded by family. She said the cause of death was cerebral vascular disease.

He was married for nearly sixty-five years to Betsy Maxwell Cronkite.They were married on March 30, 1940 and remained together until her death on March 16, 2005. Together they had three children: Nancy Cronkite, Kathy Cronkite, and Walter (Chip) Cronkite III (who is married to actress Deborah Rush). Cronkite also had four grandchildren, two of whom, Peter Cronkite and Walter Cronkite IV.

Reportedly in late 2005, Cronkite began dating opera singer Joanna Simon, who is singer Carly Simon's older sister. When asked about their relationship Cronkite stated in an interview for the New York Post in January 2006: "We are keeping company, as the old phrase used to be." Cronkite made a brief return to the "Evening News," in September 2006, when he recorded the opening to the newscast with new anchor Katie Couric.

In an interview in 2006, Cronkite was asked if he ever thought about death.

Cronkite: "When you get to be 89, you have to think about it a little bit. It doesn't prey on me, and it doesn't keep me awake nights. Occasionally, when I'm upset about something else, I think, 'My gosh, I don't know if I should do this or that because I'm not sure I'll be here that long to enjoy it.'"

His familiar face ,and memorable voice were an American tradition at millions of dinner tables across the US. Cronkite served as the anchorman for CBS from 1962 to 1981. He covered many historical events, such as the assassinations of President Kennedy and civil rights activist Reverend Martin Luther King. He also covered the Vietnam war, race conflicts, Watergate and the Iranian hostage crisis.

Cronkite was the voice we heard break into the soap opera “As the world turns”as he read the bulletins coming in from Dallas when Kennedy was shot Nov. 22, 1963. During that announcement Cronkite was choked up but did his best hold himself together while delivering the somber news to America.

There were also times where he was the “bearer of good news” such as the historic landing of the Apollo 11 mission on the moon. He also worked in radio, there he was known to be more outspoken about his opinions than he was on T.V. David Halberstam wrote in his 1979 book on news media

David Halberstam : “Walter Cronkite, the premier TV anchorman of the networks' golden age who reported a tumultuous time with reassuring authority and came to be called "the most trusted man in America."

During his time as CBS anchorman broadcasting into 18 million households each evening. Twice that number watched his final show, on March 6, 1981. He usually ended his show with the catch phrase "Thats the way it is". At first the station manager wanted him to stop using it, but it caught on fast and he ended up having to repeat it for years to come.

Cronkite also hosted program from 1953 to 1957 called “You are there” which reenacted famous historic events. On a typical program, an event like signing the Declaration of Independence would be played out by actors . He ended each show by saying “ What sort of day was it was it ? A day like all days fill with these events that alter and illuminate our lives, and you were there." He also hosted "The Twentieth Century", which was a documentary series about important historical events of the century. The program was made almost entirely of old newsreel footage, and interviews. It became another Cronkite sucess .

Cronkite's farewell statement:
“ This is my last broadcast as the anchorman of The CBS Evening News; for me, it's a moment for which I long have planned, but which, nevertheless, comes with some sadness. For almost two decades, after all, we've been meeting like this in the evenings, and I'll miss that. But those who have made anything of this departure, I'm afraid have made too much. This is but a transition, a passing of the baton. A great broadcaster and gentleman, Doug Edwards, preceded me in this job, and another, Dan Rather, will follow. And anyway, the person who sits here is but the most conspicuous member of a superb team of journalists; writers, reporters, editors, producers, and none of that will change. Furthermore, I'm not even going away! I'll be back from time to time with special news reports and documentaries, and, beginning in June, every week, with our science program, Universe.

Old anchormen, you see, don't fade away; they just keep coming back for more. And that's the way it is: Friday, March 6, 1981. I'll be away on assignment, and Dan Rather will be sitting in here for the next few years. Good night.

Some of Cronkites awards:
"Freedom of the Press" George Polk Award / President Jimmy Carter awarded Cronkite the Presidential Medal of Freedom / Carr Van Anda Award "for enduring contributions to journalism

Can any contemporary news-person compare with Cronkite?

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