May 21, 2020
#tbt October 13, 2004.
A momentous highlight of my career: co-anchoring a post-debate special with the legendary Walter Cronkite!
It was the third and final presidential debate between President Bush and John Kerry, in the final weeks of the campaign to the White House.
The debate took place inside ASU Gammage Auditorium.
I was anchoring evenings for CBS 5 News at the time.
I will never forget the sheer excitement I felt when my bosses asked me to co-anchor a special with Mr. Cronkite.
We were set up outside Gammage where we watched the debate together and then analyzed it live in a CBS 5 News special, following the debate.
Mr. Cronkite was exceptionally warm and kind when we first met and he kept telling me to call him Walter instead of Mr. Cronkite.
I just couldn’t bring myself to do that, though.
I was a scrap-booker back then, and wrote down what he said to me after we wrapped the special, so I’d never forget.
He said, “They told me you’d be great. They were right.”
I mean, does it get any better than that??!!!
I had read Mr. Cronkite’s book, ‘A Reporter’s Life’ several years before, and took it with me that day to boldly ask him to sign it for me.
He kindly obliged and as you can see, he was extremely generous in writing, “To Catherine – It was a pleasure working with you – a skilled journalist.”
Pretty tough to top that!
One of those indelible days in my life that I will treasure – along with these pictures and that book – forever
#tbt #2004 #presidentialdebate #postdebatespecial #cbs5news #WalterCronkite #coanchor #memory
