AND THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS

Walter Cronkite nearly made it to Monday's 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. He passed away today at age 92. There was no other newscaster like him, and some of my favorite memories of him involve the space race - specifically the Apollo 11 mission. In this video from CBS he anchors the history-making live Apollo coverage with my friend Wally Schirra, one of the Original 7 astronauts. Wally was the only man to fly Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, including the first manned flight of Apollo (7). Sadly, we lost Wally two years ago. He was a dear friend of mine, and Cronkite's passing seems to seal that era, at least in broadcast coverage. They remained close friends through later life, despite occasional good-natured political differences. America was richer for both of them. One of my most cherished books is one signed by both men, a transcript of their network coverage on July 20, 1969. I had found a copy of the book from a small publishing house, buying one for Wally and one for myself. Wally got Cronkite to inscribe it, "To Mark, from the other Wally"... Wally signed it "To Mark, from the other Walter." Love it.