By KATHARINE RAMSDEN
On this day in 1916 Player Walter Leland Cronkite Jr was born. An iconic broadcast journalist, he served as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years, from 1962 to 1981. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America”.
Cronkite reported many historic events, including the Nuremberg Trials; Watergate; the Iran Hostage Crisis; and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, and civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King Jr. He was also known for his extensive coverage of the U.S. space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landings to the Space Shuttle. Cronkite was known for his catchphrase sign-off, "And that's the way it is.”, followed by the date of the broadcast.
His last day in the anchor chair at the CBS Evening News was on March 6, 1981; he was succeeded by Dan Rather.
Cronkite received numerous honors, including two Peabody Awards, a George Polk Award, and an Emmy Award. In 1981 he was recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter.
Walter Cronkite passed away on July 17, 2009, at his home in New York City at the age of 92. His funeral was held on July 23, 2009, at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Manhattan. A memorial service was held at Lincoln Center on September 9, 2009 where there were eulogies by Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, along with remarks by many others from his long, illustrious career.
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