I was saddened to hear of Walter Cronkite’s death. Though I never saw live the broadcasts he anchored following the Kennedy assassination, or the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., or Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s historic walk on the moon, I eventually studied his work and grew to admire him. He clearly loved being a journalist, and for him the news always came first. By that I mean, I don’t think he appeared on air because he saw it as a way to become famous. He just happened to be in front of the camera, and took his job as a reporter – literally, someone telling the news to the public – very seriously.
Many seasoned journalists say that there was nothing that excited Mr. Cronkite more than reporting on the U.S. Space program, and if you watch any of the footage of him reporting on space flights, he looked more like a kid in a candy store than the man many called “the most trusted man in America.” The New York Times assembled a few snippets (from YouTube) of Cronkite’s most famous broadcasts, and it’s true: when he was doing the commentary on the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, he was exuberant. When I first saw those broadcasts years ago as a budding reporter, I thought, “That’s what it’s like to cover a story that excites you to your core.” And I hoped that I would someday have a similar experience. I did. A few times. And it’s a rush. In those moments, I felt like I was walking on the moon.
Monday, July 20th, 2009, marks the 40th anniversary of man walking on the moon. And did you know that 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy? Perfect reasons to come up with a space-themed design.
Have a moonwalk of a week.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello, Mari! I’ve missed ya! Sorry I haven’t been by (it’s not you, it’s me). Those cookies are (of course!) FABULOSO! I *was* lucky enough to have grown up watching/listening to Walter Cronkite lend his voice to the major milestone moments in our country’s history in the 60′s and 70′s. I shed a tear when I heard of his passing–he was such a huge part of my childhood. Hope you and Wolf are well. Please know I’ve thought of you often during my absence. xo
yum. That is one good looking cookie! I was 9 when the moon landing happened, and it really was a thrilling summer. There was something magical about knowing that people were up there in space, near the moon itself. We didn’t have a television, but my mom rented one that summer so we could watch! I think most people were really excited about it.
LOVE this cookie design!
Paz
I love the black & white image (chocolate & white, that is)!
… “That’s what it’s like to cover a story that excites you to your core.” And I hoped that I would someday have a similar experience. I did. A few times. (would like to hear more about these experiences)
such a touching post, and especially interesting from your perspective as a young reporter, how you studied Mr. Cronkite and grew to understand what he was about .
PS
Oh my gosh, & the cookie! so very fitting.