Nightline E-mail: Sept. 10

W A S H I N G T O N, Sept. 10 -- When Ted Koppel spoke to Morrie Schwartz over a period of nearly a year in 1995, none of us working on the broadcasts could have imagined that Morrie's fame would reach the level that it has now in 2001.

We thought this was a fascinating and special man and that we were priviledged to be able to bring some of his final lessons to a broader group of pupils, our viewing audience. But since his former student Mitch Albom saw one of the Nightline programs, and then reignited his friendship with Morrie, and went on to write the best selling book, "Tuesdays with Morrie," this man's fame is now enormous.

Hardly a month goes by that we do not receive requests from viewers who want to see the original Morrie broadcasts. We assume many of those making the request are readers of Albom's terrific book. Well, tonight you get that chance again - in part two of Ted Koppel's original conversations with Morrie.

I don't know what Morrie thought of an afterlife, but I like to imagine that somewhere up there Morrie is pleased not at his fame, but at how much his pupils are taking from his lessons.

Sara Just is a Senior Producer for Nightline.