Remembering Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite came to Stanford University to speak when I was a sophomore in the mid 1970s. After his talk, I introduced myself and told him I was thinking about going into wire service reporting. He took time to sit down on a bench and advise me that wire service training was the best a journalist could have. He was right! I later became the campus stringer for the Associated Press and after graduation, worked for UPI. I was a multiplatform journalist in print and broadcasting waaay before it was cool and it led to a job in television reporting. I thank Mr. Cronkite for the kind words that inspired my career.
On the day he died, I interviewed NBC's Brian Williams for my upcoming book. Brian spoke about growing up in a household where Cronkite was required viewing before dinner. He said it was the best textbook anyone could have. I couldn't agree more. It's hard to believe that powerful voice is gone, but his example will live on through the many people he inspired.