Walter Cronkite Dies at Age 92: an American News Icon

Walter Cronkite has died at age 92 at his home in New York City. Mr. Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916 in Saint Joseph, Missouri. While growing up he also lived in Kansas and Texas.

He attended the University of Texas at Austin for two years to study political science before leaving college to start his career. Walter Cronkite was married to Betsy Maxwell for 64 years. They had three children: Nancy, Kathy, and Walter III.

During his long career, Walter Cronkite worked in radio, as a print journalist, and as a television news anchor according to CNN. During his career he earned Emmys and Peabody awards. He was also given the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Jimmy Carter. He was known as "the most trusted man in America" by many people throughout the country according to the New York Times.

Walter Cronkite was a revered newsman in America with a career over the 20^th century and the start of the 21^st century. He began as an anchor in 1962 on the CBS "Evening News." His signoff of "And that's the way it is" is a fond memory of many Americans, who counted on him to bring them the important news of the day in reports filled with substantial information. He brought the news to America with such warmth that many people thought of him as "Uncle Walter."

All over the world today people mourn Walter Cronkite. His deep voice was part of their evening ritual of getting the news of the world for so many years. He was like a piece of Americana in that everyone knew who he was and he was trusted to tell America the truth about world events.

Unlike today, when the media is so often disdained for spinning the news, Walter Cronkite was revered for providing the truth about issues of crucial interest. Even as a news anchor, he still seemed to have the mentality of the driven reporter, always eager to get the story first with as much hard information included in the report as possible.

Walter Cronkite lived a long life and had an exciting career. He was a self-made man, working as a paper boy delivering the morning news papers each day long before he became known nationwide as a news anchor. Walter Cronkite was an icon; he will long be remembered for his skill at delivering the news to America with warmth and dignity.

For a series of photos of Walter Cronkite throughout the years go to: www.life.com/image/50539063/in-gallery/28602/life-with-walter-cronkite

Sources:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/17/walter.cronkite.dead/index.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/us/18cronkite.html