University of Texas Distinguished Alumni: Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916. His family moved to Texas so his father could took a position at the University of Texas Dental School. During that time, Walter read an article in American Boy magazine about the adventures of reporters working around the world. It inspired his interest in journalism, and he decided when he was in junior high school that he wanted to be a reporter.
In 1933, Cronkite entered the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied political science, economics, and journalism. He took a part-time job with the Houston Post. This set him on a professional career which led him to leave college after two years to serve in several different journalism jobs. After his time at the Post, he worked for several years at United Press International (UPI). He covered World War II in Europe, and served as chief correspondent at the Nuremburg war crimes trials and head of the Moscow office.
Years at CBS
In 1950, Cronkite joined CBS News. Up to this point he was largely unknown to the general public. Two years later, he was narrator for You Are There, a television program in which major historical events were recreated as though they were current news events. In 1954 he became narrator of The Twentieth Century, an outstanding television documentary recounting the events of recent history.
Cronkite assumed the duties of anchor and editor for the CBS Evening News in 1962. At that time the National Broadcasting Company's (NBC) Huntley-Brinkley Report, hosted by Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, led viewer ratings. Gradually, the CBS broadcasts gained ground on the team at NBC, which broke up in 1970. From that time until his retirement, Cronkite's program was consistently the most popular television news broadcast.
Cronkite was quite concerned with not becoming part of the story he was reporting. He stated, "I built my reputation on honest, straight-forward reporting. To do anything else would be phony. I'd be selling myself and not the news." Yet there were memorable instances when he failed to remain completely separated from a story, such as his obvious emotional reaction when announcing the death of President John F. Kennedy; his broadcast pronouncement in 1968, upon returning from Vietnam, that he doubted United States policy for that region could succeed; and his undeniable enthusiasm when Neil Armstrong became the first person on the moon in 1969.
The depth of respect for Cronkite's work is reflected in the numerous awards he has received: the Peabody for Radio and Television, the William Allen White Award for Journalistic Merit, as well as the Emmy. In 1981, during his final three months on the CBS Evening News, Cronkite received eleven 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.