Walter Cronkite: Further Proof 1916 Was a Good Year

Walter Cronkite was an icon in my field, journalism. When he died recently, I learned that he had been born on Nov. 4, 1916.

Birthdates in 1916 have always caught my attention because my mother was born on June 18, 1916. Some years ago I discovered that my Aunt Thelma and my adopted Aunt Lee, both now 93, and my adopted Aunt Helen, were all born that year. (Aunt Lee was my Uncle Martin's sister and Aunt Helen was my husband's mother's best friend.)

This got me to wondering what other famous people besides Cronkite were born in 1916. One notable on the list at http://www.nndb.com/lists/915/000105600/ is Gregory Peck. About 10 years ago I attended his engaging benefit performance for the Kansas City Repertory Theatre at the Folly Theatre in Kansas City.

Other performers on the list are Kirk Douglas, Olivia de Havilland, Glenn Ford, Jackie Gleason, Betty Grable, Van Johnson, Dinah Shore and Keenan Wynn. Writers included James Herriott, Shelby Foote and Irving Wallace.

Here's to 1916. It truly was a very good year.

Who's on first...but where are the 5 W's?

Two full-page ads in The Kansas City Star caught my eye recently because they left out an all-important piece of information. WHERE.

First, there was the ad announcing Paul McCartney's concert at the BOK Center. Where is it? You would think that American Express, which bought the ad, would want us to know. But no such luck. I had to use Google to find out that it's in Tulsa. (OK, that explains the OK in the name...)

Second, I saw another full-page ad announcing Macy's new store at Summit Fair. Where is it? I guessed Lee's Summit, Mo., because of the name, but the ad gives no clue. Fortunately, several pages later is a JC Penney ad that includes directions and a map.

In J-school (journalism) at the University of Missouri, we learned that the lead of every news story should include the 5 W's: Who, What, Where, When, Why...and sometimes How. Whether you're writing a news release, an ad or Web copy, it's still a good way to double check your copy.

Otherwise, you're wasting your client's money.

Reflections on the Moon Landing

It was one of those "I remember exactly where I was" moments when the Eagle landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. As Neil Armstrong said, it truly was, "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Staying up late to watch the landing was a thrill shared by millions. At the time, I was just finishing up my journalism degree at the University of Missouri in Columbia. My “sequence” was news/editorial, so it was perfect timing to witness one of the biggest news events of the 20th Century. The Columbia Missourian, our training-ground newspaper, published a commemorative edition. I went to a McDonald's to hawk copies, and sold my whole stack in no time.

Too bad Walter Cronkite missed living to see the anniversary by a few days. His reporting captured the awe and the pride we all shared.

If you haven't already, be sure to see In the Shadow of the Moon, a fascinating documentary released in 2007. It is available on DVD.

Ceremony to Honor Hospitalman at Marine Corps League Meeting

Working with the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and now the Marine Corps League gives me the opportunity to thank both veterans and active military for their service. Marines, Navy corpsmen and anyone else who is interested are invited to the following event, publicized in a news release I wrote and distributed:

The monthly meeting of the Simpson-Hoggatt Detachment of the Marine Corps League will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at the Disabled Veterans of America location, 8787 Old Santa Fe Rd. in Kansas City, Mo.

The meeting will feature a ceremony and presentation of a framed poem to Lance and Katherine Simson, Overland Park, Kan., parents of Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Simson, a hospitalman who received a Silver Star for “conspicuous gallantry” in combat operations in Afghanistan. Simpson-Hoggatt Detachment member Ed Becker, who served as a Navy corpsman, wrote the poem as a tribute to Simson and other corpsmen’s service to the Marine Corps. Simson recently returned to Afghanistan for a second tour of duty.

The event is free and the public is invited. For more information call Commandant Ken Spencer at 913-362-8383.

Merger of YouTube, Twitter and Facebook?

On Conan O'Brien's first week on The Tonight Show, he predicted that YouTube, Twitter and Facebook would merge...creating another time-wasting Web site called YouTwitFace.

That may be a little too close to the truth.

Bataan Death March Survivor to Speak to Marine Corps League

If you've ever wondered how anyone could have survived the Bataan Death March in World War II, here is an opportunity to learn the story of someone who did. Here's a news release I wrote for the Marine Corps League that provides details on the June 18 presentation:

Bataan Death March Survivor to Speak to Marine Corps League

Billy Templeton, a survivor of the Bataan Death March in World War II, will talk about his experiences at a meeting of the Simpson-Hoggatt Detachment of the Marine Corps League, 7 p.m. Thursday, June 18, at the Disabled Veterans of America location, 8787 Old Santa Fe Rd. in Kansas City, Mo.

Infamous for its brutality, the Death March started on April 9, 1942, on the Philippines Bataan Peninsula. Templeton, an Army Air Corps radio operator, survived the 60-mile trek in blistering heat and then was held as a prisoner of war for three-and-one-half years. His 2006 book, Manila Bay Sunset: the Long March Into Hell, describes his ordeal and “personal triumph.” He now lives in Lee’s Summit, Mo.

The event is free and the public is invited. For more information call Commandant Ken Spencer at (913) 362-8383.
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Memories of Mom

Here's the "As I See It" article I wrote that appeared on Mother's Day 2005 in The Kansas City Star:

Remembering Lessons From Mom

This year I’ll face Mother’s Day for the first time without Mom, who died April 1 at 88.

She was never like anyone else’s mom. Though she always told me I was an accident, I knew I was loved. But I also learned the world didn’t revolve around me. Other lessons Mom taught me are also deeply ingrained:

“Be independent.” At 5 I walked to school and saw a mother with her son in tow, also headed for kindergarten. I thought, “My mother would never do that. I’m on my own now.” She said she never had “empty nest syndrome.”
“Don’t leave things to the last minute.” She had a running contest with a friend to finish Christmas shopping by Oct. 1. I was glad I followed her example and completed college in three years. If I hadn’t, Pop wouldn’t have lived to see me graduate.
“Don’t let yourself go.” She’d immediately cut back if she gained a few pounds. When I asked why she ate half a doughnut, she said it was because “I’ll only get half as fat.”
“Good health is everything.” She ensured my sister, brother and I got regular checkups. At 77 when she learned she had cancer and needed to have her leg amputated below the knee to “buy time,” she didn’t hesitate. She “bought” nearly 12 years.
“Don’t spend everything you make.” When I left Hallmark, Mom pushed me to roll over my profit-sharing money into an IRA. It will someday help fund my retirement.
“Write thank-yous.” Mom sat us down to write notes right after Christmas. Learning that lesson helped me get at least one job, at Kansas City Power & Light, which led to meeting my husband Larry. I thank her for that training.
“Have a good time.” Mom said that when she died, people would say she had a good time. As a teen-ager, I thought that seemed shallow, but now it makes more sense. Sure enough, one of her longtime friends said at the funeral, “We had a lot of laughs.” So perhaps it’s fitting that Mom died on April Fool’s Day.
“Life is for the living.” When Pop died on the golf course at 58, I knew Mom would remarry. Later she reported that a man had visited “to pay his respects to the lonely widow.” I was matron of honor at her wedding 10 months after my dad died. She was married 33 years to my dad and nearly 30 to my stepfather when he died. Mom said that people who disapproved of her remarriage had probably been unhappily wed.

So through the tears, I’m reminding myself, “Life is for the living.” I’ll always miss Mom, but will remember, “We had a lot of laughs.”