ASU’s Cronkite School Remembers Legendary Newsman

ABC News On Campus reporter Maxine Park blogs: Walter Cronkite did not attend Arizona State University. But in the early 1980s, a friend introduced the legendary newsman to the up-and-coming journalism program that would one day bear his name. Phoenix attorney Tom Chauncey II remembers the day in 1984 when the program at ASU officially became the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. His father was the manager of the local CBS affiliate. “My dad and I placed a call to Walter Cronkite and asked if he would be interested in a new kind of journalism school,” Chauncey said. “He brought his credibility to the school in a way that…there was no other way to do it.” As family and friends of the legendary newsman gathered for a private funeral service in New York Thursday, students and faculty at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University recalled his passion and impact on the field.  “He wanted to be there with the students,” said Don Godfrey, journalism professor and director of the doctoral program. “He wanted to have an influence in their life.” And Cronkite did just that. He made frequent visits to the school to meet with students and faculty and also acted as an on-set advisor. Alex Whitlach, a print journalism major, remembers the first time he met his school’s namesake. “It was a few years back, probably my first or second year, and I remember he had this incredible sense of calmness and stature,” Whitlach said. “I loved how quick-witted he was and you could tell he was so passionate about journalism.” Cronkite also traveled to Arizona each year to present the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. This year’s recipient will be NBC News anchor Brian Williams. “The name Cronkite stands for so many good things in journalism: trustworthiness, credibility, honesty, accuracy, excellence,” said Joseph Russomanno, associate professor of mass communication law. A quarter century later, Cronkite’s impact on the school remains as strong as ever. “His name gave a credibility to the school like no other school can claim,” Whitlach said. “It’s both inspiring and humbling to be following in the footsteps of someone like him.” At the school’s new campus in downtown Phoenix, signs of Cronkite are everywhere, reminding students of the high standards set by someone once called “The Most Trusted Man in America.” Leah Langstaff, a broadcast journalism senior at the Cronkite School, called him the ultimate role model. “He was someone to watch and learn from, and as a student journalist, Walter Cronkite was a man I could look up to as an example [of] how journalism and reporting should be done,” Langstaff said. “He is the epitome of a journalist and I will be proud to have his name on my diploma.” Tom Chauncey II believes Cronkite was a game-changer in the field. “He changed the game by being honest and being straight up, which is something you don’t see today,” Chauncey said. And it’s what he stood for, students and faculty say, that will live on at the Cronkite School long after Cronkite himself. “The world has changed since Walter’s day, ” Professor Godfrey said. “Walter gave us the news we needed to know.” During one of his campus visits, Cronkite offered sage advice to a room full of ASU students: “Be true to yourself, be true to the integrity that you’ve learned here, and you’ll do OK.”