March 6, 1981: Walter Cronkite’s final broadcast.
The man who became “the most trusted man in America”
was born in St. Joseph and grew up in Kansas City until
he and his family moved to Texas. Cronkite returned to Missouri for
his early years of broadcasting, at KCMO radio. Later in his career, as
anchor of The CBS Evening News, he was the man viewers most turned
to when President Kennedy was killed and when American astronauts
landed on the moon. When he retired, millions tuned in for his final
goodbye. A memorial was erected in his honor at Missouri Western
State University in St. Joseph.
Based upon content from the book Missouri 365: This Day in Missouri History by John W. Brown, broadcaster and Missouri historian. Get your copy at Reedy Press.
Image from Unsplash
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