Yeah, I know it was last week.  And he was on my “death watch” for a couple months.  Still, it’s a bit of a shock and sad.

I wonder how much a younger generation weened on the 24 hour cable news can appreciate the stature that Walter Cronkite had.  I was less than ten during the 1960’s, and even then, I thought of him as “the honest one”.  Walt was a real anchorman — not the pretty boy/girl type you see today.  He was also a journalist — he went and got the story, rather than just report what various parties said in their respective press releases.  Even after he retired, he managed to pop up now and then (usually from presidential elections), lending his considerable gravitas.

His heyday was in the 1960’s and he narrated the nation through assassinations, war, and technological hurdles.  Since this is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, it is only fitting to show Walter in a rare moment — being speechless — as the LEM lands on the lunar surface (complete with CBS’s cheesy 1960’s graphics)

Cronkite was very knowledgeable about this subject matter, as he was about everything he reported.  He took the time to learn what he was talking about, so that he could report about it intelligently.  There’s never been another like him since.

He was 92.

UPDATE:  The JFK assassination coverage…steady and sober