<div> <h3><span style="font-weight: normal;">O conhecido apresentador de TV americano, Walter Cronkite faleceu.</span></h3>Fonte: ARRL<br><br><h3 style="font-weight: normal;">Cumprimentos</h3>Salomão Fresco<br>CT2IRJ<br><br>
<h3>Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD (SK)</h3> </div>
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Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD (SK)
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Narrated by former CBS news anchorman Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD, <em>Amateur Radio Today</em> showcases the public service contributions made by hams throughout the country.
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ARRL Hudson Division Director presented Cronkite with the ARRL
President’s Award. Cronkite was awarded this honor in 2005 in
recognition of his outstanding support of the ARRL and Amateur Radio by
narrating the videos <em>Amateur Radio Today</em> and <em>The ARRL Goes to Washington</em>. [Photo courtesy Frank Fallon, N2FF]
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<p>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 <i><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/eveningnews/main3420.shtml" target="_blank">CBS Evening News</a></i>
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.</p>
<p>Cronkite, an ARRL member, narrated the 6 minute video <i><a href="http://www.arrl.org/ARToday/">Amateur Radio Today</a></i>.
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."</p>
<p>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 <i><a href="http://boyslife.org/" target="_blank">Boys Life</a></i> about the adventures of reporters working around the world -- and young Cronkite was hooked," said his <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/17/eveningnews/main5170556.shtml" target="_blank">obituary on the CBS Web site</a>. "He began working on his high school newspaper and yearbook and in 1933, he entered the <a href="http://www.utexas.edu/" target="_blank">University of Texas at Austin</a> to study political science, economics and journalism. He never graduated. He took a part time job at the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_Post" target="_blank">Houston Post</a></i> and left college to do what he loved: report."</p>
<p><b>Cronkite's Professional Career</b></p>
<p>Cronkite made his mark as a World War II correspondent for United
Press where he covered the D-Day invasion and bombing missions over
Germany. After the war, he served as UP's chief correspondent at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Trials" target="_blank">Nuremburg War Crimes Trials</a>
and spent two years in Moscow. He joined CBS in 1950 as a Washington
correspondent. He distinguished himself with his coverage of the 1952
and 1956 political conventions and as narrator of the documentary
series <i><a href="http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/T/htmlT/the20thcent/the20thcent.htm" target="_blank">The 20th Century</a></i>. In 1962, he was named anchor of <i>CBS Evening News</i>,
then 15 minutes in length; the following year, it became network TV's
first 30 minute weeknight newscast. Cronkite's nightly sign-off -- "And
that's the way it is" -- became part of the popular lexicon, his
gravelly voice instantly recognizable.</p>
<p>At the time, the <i>CBS Evening News</i> lived in the long shadow cast by NBC's <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntley-Brinkley_Report" target="_blank">Huntley-Brinkley Report</a></i>,
the most popular television newscast in the country. "Expectations for
the Cronkite newscast were not high," the CBS obituary said. "But in
1963, the broadcast was expanded to 30 minutes -- and Cronkite won a
title for which he had long campaigned, Managing Editor. The added time
gave the broadcast more depth and variety, and the title gave Cronkite
more influence over the content and coverage. And it came at a
significant time. In September of that year, Cronkite launched the
expanded program with an extended interview with President John F.
Kennedy. Two months later, it was Cronkite who broke into the soap
opera <i><a href="http://www.cbs.com/daytime/as_the_world_turns/" target="_blank">As The World Turns</a></i> to announce that the president had been shot -- and later to declare that he had been killed."</p>
<p>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."</p>
<p>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 Apollo XI took to
complete its mission.</p>
<p>In 1977, Cronkite interviewed Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat,
who, according to CBS, told Cronkite that, if invited, he'd go to
Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The move was
unprecedented. The next day, Begin invited Sadat to Jerusalem for talks
that eventually led to the Camp David accords and the Israeli-Egyptian
treaty.</p>
<p>"In 1981, Cronkite announced he would retire at the age of 65, to
make way for a new anchor in the chair, Dan Rather," CBS said. "A
commentator said it was like 'George Washington leaving the dollar
bill.' Cronkite said on March 6, 1981, as he conclude 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.'"</p>
<p>After leaving the evening news broadcast, Cronkite was seen and
heard occasionally as a special correspondent for CBS, CNN and NPR.
>From 1987-1992, he filled his last role for CBS News: <i>Walter Cronkite's 20th Century</i>,
a 90 second radio segment for CBS Radio. A production company he
cofounded in 1993, the Cronkite Ward Company, produced documentaries
for the Discovery Channel, PBS and other networks. In 2004, he wrote a
weekly syndicated newspaper column that appeared in 186 newspapers. For
many years, Cronkite hosted the annual <a href="http://www.wienerphilharmoniker.at/index.php?set_language=en&cccpage=newyearsconcert" target="_blank">Vienna New Year's Concert</a> on PBS and the <a href="http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/index.cfm" target="_blank">Kennedy Center Honors</a>.</p>
<p>In 2000, Cronkite was <a href="http://www.loc.gov/about/awardshonors/livinglegends/bio/cronkitew.html" target="_blank">designated a Living Legend</a> by the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/index.html" target="_blank">Library of Congress</a>.
Established during its Bicentennial celebration in 2000, the Library of
Congress' Living Legend award is selected by the Library's curators and
subject specialists to honor artists, writers, activists, filmmakers,
physicians, entertainers, sports figures and public servants who have
made significant contributions to America's diverse cultural,
scientific and social heritage. The professional accomplishments of the
Living Legends have enabled them to provide examples of personal
excellence that have benefited others and enriched the nation in a
variety of ways.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.arrl.org/?artid=6130">NASA honored Cronkite by giving him their Ambassador of Exploration Award in 2006</a>.
"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. NASA presented the Ambassador of
Exploration Award to the 38 astronauts and other key individuals who
participated in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs for
realizing America's vision of space exploration from 1961 to 1972.
Cronkite was the first non-astronaut and only NASA outsider to receive
the award, which consists of a small sample of lunar material encased
in Lucite and mounted for public display. The material is part of the
842 pounds of moon rocks brought back to Earth during the six Apollo
expeditions between 1969 and 1972.</p>
<p><b>KB2GSD</b></p>
<p>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 every night for a
few minutes to the Novice bands.</p>
<p>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 <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_News" target="_blank">In the News</a></i>,
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 [Mendelsohn was ARRL Hudson Division
Director at the time <i>-- Ed</i>].</p>
<p>"When Walter walked into the studio, I started to set the show up at
the behest of our director, Dick Muller, WA2DOS. 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 <i>The New York Times</i>
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.</p>
<p>"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 KB2GSD to the 'most trusted anchorman
in America.'</p>
<p>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!'</p>
<p>"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."</p>
<p>In 2007, the Radio Club of America (<a href="http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/" target="_blank">RCA</a>) presented Cronkite with the <a href="http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/people.php?page=awards.html" target="_blank">Armstrong Award</a>,
the RCA's foremost achievement award and named for its first recipient,
Major Edwin Armstrong. Upon presenting the award to the esteemed
newsman, Richard Somers, W6NSV, said, "Each year, the Radio Club of
America recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of wireless
communications by honoring individuals who have made significant
contributions to the industry and the public it serves. The highest and
most prestigious award given by the Club is the Armstrong Medal,
created in 1935 and named after Major Edwin Armstrong, wireless pioneer
and inventor of FM radio. Since that time, this award has been
presented infrequently and only to the most accomplished and deserving
individuals -- those who have made important contributions to the radio
art and science. As his significant contribution, our award recipient
has used the medium of television to keep the American public informed
of the news in a manner never before imagined. And tonight, we have the
distinct privilege of having that individual with us, America's best
known and most respected broadcast journalist, Walter Cronkite."</p>
<p>When Somers was done with his speech, Cronkite stepped to the podium
and Somers handed him the award. Cronkite simply said: "Thank you for
accepting me as one of you and for your accomplishments in the field of
communications."</p>
<p>Before the RCA banquet and ceremony, 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 <a href="http://www.arrl.org/pio/VTS-video.wmv"><i>The ARRL Goes to Washington</i></a>.
"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."</p>
<p>Mendelsohn remembered Cronkite as a wonderful friend with a great
sense of humor: "On one particular day, I was a bit withdrawn and
missed several cues on the radio show. After the show, Walter come into
the control room and asked our director, Dick Muller, WA2DOS, what was
wrong. Dick explained that my dad had just had an operation and that I
was quite worried, as my father was in his late 60s. Later that night,
I went to visit my father in the hospital and when I arrived, all he
would talk about was how thrilled he was talking with Walter Cronkite
on the phone for a half hour before I arrived! I was stunned, as I had
not told anyone but the director about the operation. I found out the
next day that Walter had asked his secretary to call all of the
hospitals on Long Island to find my dad and talk with him, and even
though I saw Walter in the hallway after work, he never told me he had
talked with my dad. This was the measure of the man, never too busy to
help someone he worked with. To me, Walter was always a friend, not
just The Most Trusted Anchorman in America."</p>
<p>Cronkite is the recipient of a <a href="http://www.peabody.uga.edu/" target="_blank">Peabody Award</a>, the <a href="http://www.journalism.ku.edu/school/waw/awards/wawmedal/WAWMedal.html" target="_blank">William White Award for Journalistic Merit</a>, an Emmy Award from the <a href="http://www.emmys.tv/" target="_blank">Academy of Television Arts and Sciences</a>, the <a href="http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/polk/history.html" target="_blank">George Polk Journalism Award</a> and a <a href="http://www.irts.org/awards/gma/gma.html" target="_blank">Gold Medal</a> from the <a href="http://www.irts.org/awards/gma/gma.html" target="_blank">International Radio and Television Society</a>. In 1981, during his final three months on the <i>CBS Evening News</i>, Cronkite received 11 major awards, including the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Medal_of_Freedom" target="_blank">Presidential Medal of Freedom</a>. In 1985, he became the second newsman, after Edward R. Murrow, to be selected for the <a href="http://www.emmys.org/awards/halloffame.php" target="_blank">Television Hall of Fame</a>.</p>
<p>In 2006, Cronkite was asked in an <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cbs/walter_cronkite_gravely_ill_119333.asp" target="_blank">interview with Gail Shister</a>
if he ever thought about death. "When you get to be 89," he said, "you
have to think about it a little bit. It doesn't prey on me, and it
doesn't keep me awake nights. Occasionally, when I'm upset about
something else, I think, 'My gosh, I don't know if I should do this or
that because I'm not sure I'll be here that long to enjoy it.'"</p>