Saturday, July 18, 2009

Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela! : RIP Walter Cronkite

90th Birthday, July 2008

Today is Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday.


Yesterday, I bought tickets to Aerosmith & ZZ Top in Dallas. HappyNelson Mandela's Birthday to me.


"And that's the way it is", July 17, 2009
Walter Cronkite was never "Uncle Walter" to me. Even though he was three years older than my father, I considered him as the "Grandpa" that I never met. Maybe it was the hair. I remember rushing home from school to watch the news to see what our "first anchor" had to report. During the summer of the Watergate coverage, I could not comprehend why my peers: other eight/nine year old kids, were not glued to their television sets. During that time of my life, growing up with my "Grandpa Walter" was like having my own private teach-in on current news events. I think that my love of "Wait. Wait. Don't Tell Me." stems from Cronkite's "It's News to Me".

My not so imaginary ties to Walter Cronkite include church and state. Walter Cronkite's father helped found the church I attend. Mr. Cronkite donated the land where the original church was built. Walter Cronkrite is also a fellow Longhorn.

Most of all, Mr. Cronkite not only fostered in me, at an early age, my love of national and international news. He helped me to develop my life-long desire of using media to learn. The world bids goodbye to another great icon and human. Rest in peace Walter Cronkite.