This doesn't need an explanation. ----- Original Message ----- From: "ARRL Web site" <memberlist@xxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <k1stm@xxxxxxxxxxx> Cc: <Subscribed ARRL Members:> Sent: Monday, July 20, 2009 6:07 PM Subject: ARLX010 Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD (SK) > SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX010 > ARLX010 WALTER CRONKITE, KB2GSD (SK) > > ZCZC AX10 > QST de W1AW > Special Bulletin 10 ARLX010 > From ARRL Headquarters > Newington CT July 20, 2009 > To all radio amateurs > > SB SPCL ARL ARLX010 > ARLX010 WALTER CRONKITE, KB2GSD (SK) > > Legendary CBS newsman Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD, who held the title of > ''Most Trusted Man in America,'' passed away Friday, July 17 after a > long illness. He was 92. The avuncular Cronkite anchored the CBS > Evening News for 19 years until 1981 when he retired. During that > time, he reported on such subjects as the Kennedy assassinations, > the Civil Rights movement, the Apollo XI lunar landing, Vietnam and > the Vietnam-era protests, the Arab-Israeli Six Day War, Watergate > and the Begin-Sadat peace accords. > > Cronkite, an ARRL member, narrated the 6 minute video ''Amateur Radio > Today'' (http://www.arrl.org/ARToday/). Produced by the ARRL in 2003, > the video tells Amateur Radio's public service story to non-hams, > focusing on ham radio's part in helping various agencies respond to > wildfires in the Western US during 2002, ham radio in space and the > role Amateur Radio plays in emergency communications. ''Dozens of > radio amateurs helped the police and fire departments and other > emergency services maintain communications in New York, Pennsylvania > and Washington, DC,'' narrator Cronkite intoned in reference to ham > radio's response on September 11, 2001. ''Their country asked, and > they responded without reservation.'' > > Walter Leland Cronkite was born in St Joseph, Missouri on November > 4, 1916, the only child of a dentist father and homemaker mother. > When he was still young, his family moved to Texas. ''One day, he > read an article in ''Boys Life'' about the adventures of reporters > working around the world -- and young Cronkite was hooked,'' said > his obituary on the CBS Web site. ''He began working on his high > school newspaper and yearbook and in 1933, he entered the University > of Texas at Austin to study political science, economics and > journalism. He never graduated. He took a part time job at the > Houston Post and left college to do what he loved: report.'' > (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/17/eveningnews/main5170556.shtml) > > In 1963, it was Cronkite who broke into the soap opera ''As the World > Turns'' to announce that the president had been shot -- and later to > declare that he had been killed.'' CBS called it a ''defining moment > for Cronkite, and for the country. His presence -- in shirtsleeves, > slowly removing his glasses to check the time and blink back tears > -- captured both the sense of shock, and the struggle for composure, > that would consume America and the world over the next four days.'' > > One of Cronkite's enthusiasms was the space race. In 1969, when > America sent a man to the moon, he couldn't contain himself. ''Go > baby, go.'' he said as Apollo XI took off. He ended up performing > what critics described as ''Walter to Walter'' coverage of the mission > -- staying on the air for 27 of the 30 hours that astronauts Buzz > Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were on the moon. In 2006, NASA honored > Cronkite by giving him their Ambassador of Exploration Award. ''His > marathon, live coverage of the first moon landing brought the > excitement and impact of the historic event into the homes of > millions of Americans and observers around the world,'' NASA said in > a news release announcing the award. Cronkite was the first > non-astronaut and only NASA outsider to receive the award. > (http://www.arrl.org/?artid=6130.) > > Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML, was Cronkite's radio engineer at CBS for > many years. ''I had many chances to discuss my favorite hobby, ham > radio, with 'the world's most trusted anchor man,''' he told the > ARRL. ''Gradually, his interest increased, but on finding that he had > to pass a Morse code test, he balked, saying it was too hard for > him; however, he told me he had purchased a receiver and listened to > the Novice bands every night for a few minutes. At the CBS Radio > Network, Walter would arrive 10 minutes before we went on the air to > read his script aloud, make corrections for his style of grammar and > just 'get in the mood' to do the show. In those days Rich Moseson, > W2VU, was the producer of a show called ''In the News,'' a 3 minute > television show for children voiced by CBS Correspondent Christopher > Glenn. On this day, Rich was at the Broadcast Center to record > Chris' voice for his show and had dropped by my control room to > discuss some upcoming ARRL issues.'' At the time, Mendelsohn was the > ARRL Hudson Division Director. > > ''When Walter walked into the studio, I started to set the show up at > the behest of our director, Dick Muller, WA2DOS,'' Mendelsohn > recalled. ''In setting up the tape recorders, I had to send tone to > them and make sure they were all at proper level. Having some time, > I grabbed ''The New York Times'' and started sending code with the > tone key on the audio console. For 10 minutes I sent code and > noticed Walter had turned his script over and was copying it. We > went to air, as we did every day, at 4:50 PM and after we were off, > Walter brought his script into the control room. Neatly printed on > the back was the text I had sent with the tone key. Rich and I > looked at the copy, he nodded, and I told Walter that he had just > passed the code test. He laughed and asked when the formal test was, > but I reminded him that it took two general class licensees to > validate the test and he had just passed the code. Several weeks > later he passed the written test and the FCC issued him KB2GSD.'' > > Mendelsohn helped Cronkite make his first Amateur Radio contact: > ''Having passed the licensing test, Walter was now ready to get on > the air. His first QSO was on 10 meters about 28.390 MHz. He was > nervous and I called him on the phone to talk him through his first > experience. As we talked on the air, a ham from the Midwest come on > and called me. Acknowledging him, I asked the usual questions about > where he was from, wanting to give Walter a bit of flavor of what > the hobby was about. I turned it over to Walter, and following his > introduction, the gentleman in the Midwest said, 'That's the worst > Walter Cronkite imitation I've ever heard.' I suggested that maybe > it was Walter and the man replied, 'Walter Cronkite is not even a > ham, and if he was, he certainly wouldn't be here on 10 meters.' > Walter and I laughed for weeks at that one.'' > > In 2007, ARRL Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, presented > Cronkite with the ARRL President's Award. This award, created in > 2003 by the ARRL Board of Directors, recognizes an ARRL member or > members who ''have shown long-term dedication to the goals and > objectives of ARRL and Amateur Radio'' and who have gone the extra > mile to support individual League programs and goals. Cronkite was > selected to receive the award in April 2005 in recognition of his > outstanding support of the ARRL and Amateur Radio by narrating the > videos ''Amateur Radio Today'' and ''The ARRL Goes to Washington'' > (http://www.arrl.org/pio/VTS-video.wmv.) ''It was quite a thrill to > make this presentation to Cronkite,'' Fallon said. ''He has long been > recognized as the 'most trusted man in America,' so lining our > causes to his face, name and voice has been a great help.'' > > Cronkite is the recipient of a Peabody Award, the William White > Award for Journalistic Merit, an Emmy Award from the Academy of > Television Arts and Sciences, the George Polk Journalism Award and a > Gold Medal from the International Radio and Television Society. In > 1981, during his final three months on the CBS Evening News, > Cronkite received 11 major awards, including the Presidential Medal > of Freedom. In 1985, he became the second newsman, after Edward R. > Murrow, to be selected for the Television Hall of Fame. > > A private memorial service was scheduled for July 23 in New York > City. Cronkite will be cremated and his remains buried in Missouri > next to his wife Betsy, who passed away in 2005. A public memorial > service will be held within the next month at Avery Fisher Hall at > the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. In lieu of flowers, the > family is requesting donations to the Walter and Betsy Cronkite > Foundation through the Austin Community Foundation > (http://www.austincommunityfoundation.org/), which will distribute > contributions to various charities the couple supported. > > As Cronkite said on March 6, 1981, concluding his final broadcast as > anchorman: ''Old anchormen, you see, don't fade away, they just keep > coming back for more. And that's the way it is.'' > NNNN > /EX > ================================================= TIPSdiscussion welcomes messages from members please POST at: tipsdiscussion@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Our Info Page and Web Portal (the easy way to get to your acct) www.freelists.org/list/tipsdiscussion Subscribe to the list send a blank email with SUBSCRIBE in the subject field: tipsdiscussion-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Unsubscribe by sending a blank email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject to: tipsdiscussion-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Tell your friends about TIPSnet!!! =================================================