WALTER CRONKITE AND ME

A series of essays...

WALTER CRONKITE ~ AS I REMEMBER HIM FROM MY CHILDHOOD

Courtesy of RBR.com

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

What exactly makes a person tick? What can breathe life and meaning into their soul and encourage them to discover more about themselves so that they may progress deeper into their personal ‘meaning of life’ narrative and be able to direct their passion into the particular story that will shape or shadow their life, forever?

Examples may include impressionable events such as the assassination of a sitting United States President, baking cookies and cakes alongside Grandma while using the wood burning stove in her farmhouse kitchen, watching the evening news and the war in Vietnam, reading a Nancy Drew Mystery a week until you’d read them all and the school librarian suggested The Hardy Boys series, or taking eighth-grade French class and you just knew that France and the French language would become a large part of your life.

Then...there was Walter Cronkite.

Was it his voice? A bit stodgy yet staunch and reliable with a firm sense of loyalty and commitment, it was a Grandfather’s voice that could soothe away all of your troubles. Was it his looks? As a young reporter, I don’t believe I’d even recognize the mature, stalwart man that sat behind the CBS News desk each evening for nearly twenty years. Facial hair has never been my thing however, Walter’s minimal mustache gave him an edge when it came to style and distinction. 

A YOUNG REPORTER ON THE BEAT

                                                  Courtesey of UO Blogs - University of Oregon

SIMPLE BASIC JOURNALISM

                                      Courtesy of CBS

Walter Cronkite exuded impartiality and journalistic integrity and famously reported the news, not what he thought of the news, in a slower, more reasonable cadence that helped viewers understand him better. He began anchoring the CBS Evening News when I was an impressionable eleven-year-old with a penchant for writing and traveling around the world. His soft spoken style formed budding writers into potential journalists, picking-up on the desire to do research, travel, interview the people involved, and then tell the world about what they discovered and witnessed.

Will Bunch, opinion columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, wrote in 2018, “The reporter's intellect and instincts of Cronkite still echo a half-century later, at a time when a U.S. government is telling lies and threatening basic democratic norms on a scale that once would have seemed unthinkable, even back in the tumultuous 1960's when the Pentagon and the White House kept falsely assuring the public there was "a light at the end of the tunnel" in Vietnam. In 2018, can journalists look past the blinders of contrived objectivity, stare straight into the camera, and speak the plain truth? And when they do, will America listen the way it listened to Walter Cronkite in 1968?”

When he began, the evening news was only fifteen minutes long. After Walter’s first year, the program expanded to an unprecedented thirty minutes. Competition, I must admit, was minimal given the fact that we lived in an era where ABC (if you could pick it up at all), NBC, and CBS were the only broadcast networks.

Walter Cronkite soon became the voice and face of the American news media. It was an era, between 1962 until he retired in 1981, when his nightly exposure insured him great influence over the American viewer. Also, Walter was never afraid to express his emotions on the air. Both women and men could identify with this honest man when he became choked-up over the moon landing, teary eyed as he relayed to us that our president had been assassinated in Dallas, and displayed his own angst while editorializing about the stalemate in Vietnam. These true feelings, viable emotions, made us feel he was a part of our family; the Grandfather at Thanksgiving dinner who caught, plucked, and cooked the most delicious wild turkey with enough leftovers to feed an entire nation.

WALTER CRONKITE'S BROADCASTS INFLUENCED
LBJ  AND CHANGED THE WAY WE
PERCEIVED THE VIETNAM WAR

                                       Courtesy of CBS

I was hooked! By the time I graduated from high school and headed for classes at Indiana University at South Bend (IUSB), journalism courses dotted my freshman class schedule. I was going to be the female equivalent of Walter Cronkite, traveling the world over and writing op-eds to be published by all of the prominent newspapers and magazines. I would be honest and truthful just as Walter had always been, yet plucky and bright as I helped to usher in the new generation of writers and reporters. 

I always felt that Walter was looking over my shoulder as I was being negatively influenced by my early professors and always hoped that he would guide me in the right direction. Eventually, I truly believe he did. Feeling disgruntled and cheated by the teaching that “If your story isn’t strong enough to sell, then embellish it enough to make it stronger,” mentality taught in class, had me asking about the age of Walter’s honest journalism; when had it transitioned into an unreliable entity based upon sales and money? This was back in ‘68, only six years after Walter began anchoring the evening news. I was naive. However, I still believed in honesty and truth.

With Walter always at the back of my mind, I transferred to Michigan State University in order to pursue a writing career. In those days, most schools did not offer creative writing courses and I was advised to enter a Secondary Education English program while opting for a double minor in Theatre and French. 

My writing was always number one with me. I always felt that if I were to embellish upon stories, it was because they were my fictional stories to begin with! But, I seriously believed that I was in the right place for the first time and that Walter had something to do with it. The kindly, soft-spoken, older gentleman I used to listen to talk about worldly events as I slid into a familiar chair each evening with my parents by my side would have been okay with my choices. He would have understood how I could still make a difference and help change the world for the better. 

Sue, a dear, sweet friend of mine, reminded me of the many people, past and present, with whom I share birthday celebrations. Some poets and prose writers were on the list along with a British Princess, a musical composer, and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, while a famous actor or two got ‘top billing’ and the humorist and actor, Will Rogers, began blazing his own trail on November 4 back in 1879. Not too shabby! Thank you, Sue.

WHETHER HE WAS SMILING, PLAYING
WITH HIS GLASSES, OR SMOKING HIS PIPE,
HE WAS KNOWN AS 'UNCLE WALTER'

Walter Cronkite is on this list. I’ve known we shared a birthday since I was very little. I believe that we are fellow wanderers and seekers of ideas and truths and that our paths crossing like this has always encouraged me to continue learning, has recharged my passion for creativity, and always helps to breathe life back into my very soul.

Even though the world lost the man on July 17, 2009, I can still hear his famous sign-off catchphrase, “And that’s the way it is. November 4, 2019.”

Happy Birthday, Walter!!!

Copyright © 2019 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

BREVITY: A SHORT BUT TRANSFORMATIVE YEAR IN A LIFE

 
A series of essays....

STUDENTS ENGAGED IN LEARNING, DECIPHERING,
AND, HOPEFULLY, TAKING AWAY A HIGHER-ORDER OF THINKING

    Courtesy, Linkedin Learning

....as seen through my eyes!

BY: JACQUELINE E. HUGHES

Creative writing classes were yet to be programmed into the curriculum of Indiana University in South Bend or the English Department of Michigan State University in East Lansing back in the day. So, I began my college career taking classes in journalism for one year at IUSB while living with my aunt and uncle before transferring to MSU with a major in English and Secondary Education. 

Journalism courses back in the late sixties were nothing short of eye opening for me in so many ways. Entering my freshman year at seventeen years of age and owning my first car should have been enough of a thrill for anyone to handle. However, couple that with my eight o’clock class professor nursing her newborn while sitting on the front edge of her desk and explaining the principles of the ‘Five W’s plus How’ and how they relate to basic information gathering and problem solving in journalism. The take-away was how comfortable she made me feel in my own skin and how she gave this seventeen-year-old female hope for an upward momentum in women’s rights and equality within a lingering man’s world.

Regrettably, women must continue to fight in 2019! Ridiculous!!! By now, I expected so much more for my own daughters, let alone for their daughters. To think that almost fifty-one years later, nursing your baby in public (even in a classroom when necessitated) remains controversial. If entrenchment in politics equals a large part of the answer, then fight on ladies all over this country! I will support you in every way I can. Especially by utilizing my right to vote for you if I feel you are the best person for the job.

Then there was the male professor who, literally, told us that if it takes the embellishment of a seemingly weak storyline to make it more interesting or attractive in order to sell more newspapers (the news) then, go for it! (“As long as you cover everyone's behind in every way you can.”) Thinking back, was this my personal landmark in the discovery of what was real and what we refer today as ‘fake news?’ To this day, I’m uncertain as to whether this was his own philosophy or that of journalism in general. I’d like to think it was his, alone. I may have been young at the time, but I knew right then that the ‘game’ associated with the press was not for me. 

Of course, this doesn’t mean that all good journalists fit into this category of creating a stronger story out of a weaker one. It just means that this particular professor felt it was alright to do so and was not afraid to teach this to his students.

After an enlightening year of journalism, theater classes, and (wishing I spoke my Ukrainian grandparent’s language fluently) a semi-decipherable class of Russian History taught by a distinguished, elderly Russian professor who spoke minimum and highly accented English, I transferred to MSU the following fall. 

Thinking back on my year spent living with relatives, driving my own car to classes and back home to Michigan to visit each weekend, and formulating my own ideas of what I expected from myself in the future, this time was, truly, my personal rite of passage. Writing, I knew then, would always be my vocation. Travel....sweet travel, would become my greatest passion. Combining the two has become my raison d’être. 

Little did I realize back then that photography would become so important in my life, as well. I guess this would stand to reason considering one aspect of travel is to chronicle and visually record each experience for future recall and reference. Choosing a theme for each trip (lace curtains, the stately, beautiful faces of the elderly, the creative and practical usage of stone in Ireland, colorful flowers) keeps me focused and enhances my overall participation in everything I see and do.

When thinking back on my discreet ‘nursing’ professor back at Indiana University, I tend to associate her with the backbone of information gathering in the form of the Five W’s and link them to the stories (essays) I write today. These questions are my particular take-away from that period in my life and are used in everything I write. You can never relinquish the power that education affords you even when journalism blends into creative writing. Ask any mystery writer you may know! 

WHO was involved?

WHAT happened?

WHERE did it take place?

WHEN did it take place?

WHY did that happen?

With the possible addition of....

HOW did it happen?

Fairly basic questions with answers that bring a writer (be it fiction or non-fiction) directly to the point of the story and beyond. Even though I still have yet to fully grasp the basic task of embracing brevity, or how to write less and say more, I have come to realize that good, concise writing is more than just writing. It is art in its purest form.  

So, thank you ‘hippie mama’ for helping me see society within an equal, level headed, worldly perspective while at a very vulnerable age. I won’t think about how old your beautiful child is today but hope you are still there to share in his life with all of the love and dignity you afforded us, your students at the time, and during that one very special year of my life.

Copyright © 2019 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

WHERE DO I BEGIN?

A series of essays.....

INSIDE THE GILDED PENTHOUSE ~ HIGH ABOVE NEW YORK CITY
Image by 'Curbed NY

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

First of all, as an avid news fan who occasionally wishes she'd not changed her initial major of Journalism at Indiana University South Bend to English, Secondary Education, upon transferring to Michigan State University, I believe that every single moment of our daily news is head turning and, absolutely, mind blowing!

Secondly, whether we agree or not with what is happening around us within this present political climate, I would have to say that this is one helluva time to be a journalist!!

Where do I even begin?

Before heading down a million roads towards greediness, hate, and personal vindictiveness that some of us associate with the new D.C. agenda, which includes conflict of interest, abuse of power, propaganda, possible spousal abuse, and the 'fear-then-relief' tactics used to manipulate both the general citizenry of our nation, as well as all groups and divisions associated with governing and watching over our best interests, I will choose my topic wisely today.

It is exhausting trying to keep up with everything coming down the pike out of Washington D.C. this week. Many of us knew it would be like this immediately following the inauguration last Friday. The whirlwind of executive orders and 'unfactual' news briefings are, almost, secondary to the pettiness and ego-bruising experienced by this new 'leader' who now, by the way, has the power to run/ruin our country. 

BILL MAHER ~ HOST OF THE HBO POLITICAL
TALK SHOW, REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER

When woman unite, as we did this past Saturday in the Woman's March 2017 that happened all around the world, we prove to be a force to be reckoned with. Jane Fonda was asked by Bill Maher, host of the political talk show Real Time, if the reason behind women marching so soon after the inauguration was because women were sore losers and were mourning the loss of Hillary Clinton as President. Her reply was, "We are not sore losers. It's because of rapid climate change....we know we don't have time to make mistakes. It's time to stop fretting and start fighting!" Boom!!

I never believed that Americans would have to make such a difficult choice in order to move forward. But, we do. We can choose the Constitution of the United States or we can decide to live in 'Trumpland' and deal with the variables that make-up this fear-ridden world. It's not a game. Adapting to this new era of ours, created by our own hand (I'm loath to admit), is imperative to our sound mental health and general well being. I choose our Constitution...!

In my estimation, his tactics can be likened to an high-speed missile attached to a steam roller. It's as if untethered velocity and indecent quantity have usurped logic and common sense for him. Possibly, another job or mission is occupying his thoughts these days and propelling him forward at such a rapid pace? Not to mention that his ego is being artificially flattered by paid performers whose every laugh and clap would send chills down the backs of a majority of people.

Sadly, my six-year-old grandson can weather most forms of 'varied opinion' and constructive criticism better than this man of seventy years of age! Without ever having to throw a tantrum at all.

I can picture a small boy by the name of Donald roaming the marble-clad halls of his family's home desperately seeking proof, even if it's only from his own reflection staring back at him via the multitude of gilded-framed mirrors and shiny stone walls, that his very existence on this earth was important....substantial. Each day of his life was spent proving his own worth and seeking praise and love from the adults that encompassed his world. 

FRED AND MARY ANNE MACLEOD TRUMP
WITH SON AT NEW YORK
MILITARY ACADEMY

I have never claimed to be a doctor or psychologist and I'm certainly not in any legal position to make direct comments on the whys and why nots surrounding Donald Trump, as an adult man or as a small child. What I am, however, is a Mother and a Grandmother. I have earned certain rights when it comes to opinions regarding praise, or lack thereof, sincere appreciation of a child's accomplishments and struggles by way of hugs and kisses, and the immanent importance of letting your child know how grateful you are to have them in your life; loving them with all of your being. That can only be described as a privilege and a blessing uniquely subscribed to by every parent in the world, biological or adopted. At least, it should be.

The child in the 'gilded cage' above may or may not have had the opportunity to experience unconditional love through the parenting he has received. And, no matter how much research I've accumulated on this topic, I will never know for certain due to the obvious lack of personal observation at the time. Studying history does have its limitations. But, if I were to venture a guess, I would have to say that this chronologically mature man is showing symptoms, based on his 'needy' and juvenile desire for acceptance and praise, of lacking the example of positive emotions early on in life.

Sadly, the White House has had to issue a statement this past Tuesday requesting privacy for the youngest son of Melania and Donald Trump stating that Barron, ten years old, has been made fun of and bullied on social media. Harassing children in any way has always been considered an understood taboo and it was unfortunate that a young, female writer for "Saturday Night Live," the longstanding nemesis of Donald Trump, would have tweeted a highly unfavorable post about Barron on Inaugural Day last Friday. She has been suspended indefinitely for her actions. I agree with that decision.

The focus of the White House was to extend the tradition of allowing the children of presidents the opportunity to grow up outside of the political spotlight. Knowing exactly what Barron Trump has to look forward to, and having gone through eight years of scrutiny along the way herself, Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, is a huge supporter of Barron. Posting a statement on her Facebook page over the weekend, Chelsea encouraged people to "lay off Barron." Further stating that, "He deserves the chance that every child does...to be a kid."

Our society has become more understanding and protective of our children, especially when they are thrust into the spotlight. This consideration was, unfortunately, not the norm six or seven decades ago. I have to ask myself if Barron's father was a victim of harassment and low self esteem while at a very young and vulnerable age years ago. Did he reach out for help only to receive a blind eye, a harsh hit of competitiveness, without ever having the luxury of hearing from one reassuring voice....a kind or loving word in return?

Being the son of a seemingly loving mother, coupled with the wise words of others who have been there before him, I have high hopes that Barron Trump will survive and do quite well in this crazy, mixed-up world we live in today. I am, genuinely, hoping that all of us make it through these highly unpredictable times!

Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved