[Talk Host]

Many years ago (about 1973) I was attending the Radio Television News Directors Association conference in Boston at the Statler Hilton Hotel. I was news director at that time for Triangle Broadcasting Corporation.

At the final dinner, Walter Cronkite was to receive the associations "Paul White Award" for broadcast journalism. (Paul White was the first News Director of CBS).

I was sitting at a large round table just in front of the dais. Mr. Cronkite arrived a little late for the event. He and his producer Don Hewitt came in and sat at our table.

The tickets had already been collected by the waiter who came around earlier. Dinner was just about to be served, when the waiter came back and asked Mr. Cronkite for a dinner ticket.

Mr. Cronkite looked perplexed and fessed up that he didn't seem to have a dinner ticket. The waiter informed him that he couldn't eat dinner without a ticket.

At that point, Don Hewitt bellowed at the waiter, "do you know who this is, this is Walter Cronkite."

The waiter looked down, lifted his reading glasses off of his eyes, leaned forward to get a good look, plopped his glasses back on his nose and said, "Yah, and I'm Pope Paul, no ticket, no dinner."

[JeanneBeannie]

That is a nice and funny story. I bet that waiter is remembering that today. Continue the story please hehe...what happened after that? Did he get his dinner....as I am sure he did, and I hope he got the royal treatment after that hehe!!!
He was a wonderful man, may he rest in peace.
P.S. How wonderful it is that you met him, and had dinner with him!!!!

[swrinfla]

You can't leave us hanging! Yes, I'm sure "Uncle Walter" got fed, and maybe the waiter got canned, but all sorts of scenarios could have played out!

?????

SWR

[cglenhar]

"We endanger the democracy by our failure to understand and carry out our responsibility."

Walter Cronkite

You will be missed!