Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite
Cronkite giving a speech in 2004
Born	Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. (1916-11-04)November 4, 1916 Saint Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
Died	July 17, 2009(2009-07-17) (aged 92) New York City, New York, U.S.
Cause of death	Cerebrovascular disease
Nationality	American
Other names	Old Ironpants, Uncle Walter, King of the anchormen
Alma mater	University of Texas at Austin
Occupation	Television and radio broadcaster, news anchor
Years active	1935–2009
Notable credit(s)	CBS Evening News
Home town	Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Mary Elizabeth "Betsy" Maxwell (m. 1940–2005), her death
Children	3, including Kathy Cronkite
Family	Deborah Rush (In-Law)

Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years (1962–81). During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll. He reported many events from 1937 to 1981, including bombings in World War II; the Nuremberg trials; combat in the Vietnam War; the Dawson's Field hijackings; Watergate; the Iran Hostage Crisis; and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King, Jr., and Beatles musician John Lennon. He was also known for his extensive coverage of the U.S. space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landings to the Space Shuttle. He was the only non-NASA recipient of a Moon-rock award. Cronkite is well known for his departing catchphrase "And that's the way it is," followed by the broadcast's date.

Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr., was born on November 4, 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the son of Helen Lena (née Fritsche; August 1892 – November 1993), and Dr. Walter Leland Cronkite (September 1893 – May 1973), a dentist. He had remote Dutch ancestry on his father's side, the family surname originally being Krankheyt.

Cronkite lived in Kansas City, Missouri, until he was ten, when his family moved to Houston, Texas. He attended elementary school at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, junior high school at Lanier Junior High School (now Lanier Middle School) and high school at San Jacinto High School, where he edited the high school newspaper. He was a member of the Boy Scouts. He attended college at the University of Texas at Austin (UT), entering in the Fall term of 1933, where he worked on the Daily Texan and became a member of the Nu chapter of the Chi Phi Fraternity. He also was a member of the Houston chapter of DeMolay, a Masonic fraternal organization for boys. While attending UT, Cronkite had his first taste of performance, appearing in a play with fellow student Eli Wallach. He dropped out in 1935, not returning for the Fall term, in order to concentrate on journalism.