Monday, August 08, 2005

Peter Jennings 1938 - 2005

Last night as I was tossing and turning on the loveseat, I heard the news that Peter Jennings had died of lung cancer at the young age of 67. I sat up and cried. Peter Jennings was a true journalist. As I sat and listened to a retrospective of his life, I found that there were similarities between Jennings and myself. That wasn't a big surprise though...Journalists are a breed of people. "Ever since I came to this country, I have been in search of America," he said in an interview. "All journalists are." Yes, we are. He believed that in order to understand the world, you have to go to the world and he spent 10 years reporting from anywhere and everywhere. Ted Koppel said last night, that Jennings - a high school dropout - was "a student for the rest of his life". I didn't always agree with his politics, but I admired his spirit. It was said that, "he was intensely interested in absolutely everything." I can relate. It is frightening to think that an age of trusted news men - not news personalities - is becoming obsolete. I should like to think that there are more people out there, possibly like me, who would like to usher back in an age influenced by those such as Cronkite, Walters, Brokaw and Jennings. Maybe someday we will. My thoughts and prayers go out to Jennings' wife and children and all who knew him at ABC. Goodnight, Peter.

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