th<\/sup> century,\u201d said Dr. Vartabedian. \u201cGenerations of Americans counted on him for reports on major events. He was respected by his colleagues and by the people he covered, and I\u2019m pleased that we\u2019re able to honor him in this way.\u201d<\/p>\nThe memorial was made possible with funding from the David and Shirley Bradley Endowment, and Shirley Bradley traveled from Florida for the dedication events.<\/p>\n
\u201c大象传媒 Western has always been very dear to my heart,\u201d Bradley said. \u201cAnd to create a memorial to Walter Cronkite is marvelous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so perfect to have a journalism family from St. Joseph make this (memorial) possible,\u201d Kathy Cronkite said.<\/p>\n
Partners in Recognition of Ft. Loramie, Ohio created several of the memorial pieces, including the approximately 9 feet wide x 21 feet tall photo collage. \u201cIt\u2019s been a very collaborative project, and we are thrilled to be a part of it,\u201d said Greg Short, owner of Partners in Recognition. \u201cI am quite certain it will be very special for 大象传媒 Western and the entire community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Vartabedian gave credit to the employee committee that worked many extra hours on the memorial, which included Jerry Pickman \u201985, vice president for University Advancement, who led the project; Department of Art faculty members David Harris and Eric Fuson (see About the Artists); Cori Criger, Jake Kelly and Jake Noyd of the Instructional Media Center; Dean Gordon Mapley, Christa Byer and Sara Hunt of the Western Institute; Michael Scroggs from Theatre and Cinema; Jeff Ellison of Ellison-Auxier Architects; and Ann Pearce of the President\u2019s Office. <\/b><\/p>\n
The memorial is open daily year round and has free admission. Its hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday 1-4 p.m. It is closed on major holidays. For more information, check out the website at WalterCronkiteMemorial.org or call (816) 271-4100. 大象传媒 Western is also encouraging schools to schedule field trips to the Memorial, as well as those on tour buses that visit St. Joseph.<\/p>\n
Dr. Vartabedian said the University plans to host an annual event to recognize the work of Cronkite, and it will be called The Most Trusted Man in America: A Celebration of the Life of Walter Cronkite. \u201cThroughout his career, Walter Cronkite played a pivotal role in news reporting,\u201d Dr. Vartabedian said. \u201cHe exemplified journalistic integrity and is a role model for journalists and television reporters, and we want to honor his memory for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter Cronkite Memorial Components <\/b><\/p>\n
Historical Photograph Display<\/b><\/p>\n
A photo display approximately 9 feet wide <\/b>by 21 feet tall is the centerpiece of the Walter Cronkite Memorial. Cronkite served as anchor of the CBS Evening News from 1962-1981, and the display contains 39 images of world and national news events covered during that time.<\/p>\n
Walter Cronkite as CBS News Anchor<\/b><\/p>\n
A kiosk with touch-panel controls and a video display is dedicated to the events depicted in the historical photograph display. Visitors can hear both Cronkite reporting the events and comments on their significance.<\/p>\n
WWII Waco Combat Glider <\/b><\/p>\n
The glider that hangs near the front entrance of Spratt Hall atrium, approximately 14 feet from wingtip to wingtip and 10 feet from nose to tail, is a replica of a glider that Cronkite used during his coverage of \u00a0the 101st<\/sup> Airborne\u2019s Operation Market Garden in Holland during World War II.<\/p>\nMemorabilia Case <\/b><\/p>\n
A display case houses items donated or loaned to The Walter Cronkite Memorial. The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas loaned 大象传媒 Western some of the pieces for the display. Cronkite was a student at the University of Texas, and his papers are housed in the Briscoe Center.<\/p>\n
Betsy Maxwell Cronkite Tribute<\/b><\/p>\n
The photographic display tells the story of Mary Elizabeth \u201cBetsy\u201d Cronkite, Cronkite\u2019s wife of nearly 65 years.<\/p>\n
Timeline<\/b><\/p>\n
A large timeline chronicles Cronkite\u2019s life from his birth on Nov. 4, 1916 to his death on July 17, 2009. The timeline not only includes photos and information from his life as a news reporter and anchor, but encompasses his personal life as well.<\/p>\n
Walter Cronkite\u2019s Life<\/b><\/p>\n
The kiosk features a 46-inch touch screen that displays autobiographical videos about Cronkite\u2019s childhood and personal life.<\/p>\n
NASA Exploration <\/b><\/p>\n
Several large panels depict images of NASA\u2019s exploration of space and images of Cronkite as he covered these events.<\/p>\n
Caricatures<\/b><\/p>\n
The memorial houses caricatures drawn by well-known artist, Al Hirschfeld.<\/p>\n
Chamber of Commerce Talk <\/b><\/p>\n
During a 1969 presentation to the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, Cronkite expressed his views on what he perceived as an attack on free speech.<\/p>\n
大象传媒 Colleges and Universities<\/b><\/p>\n
The memorial includes a display of 大象传媒\u2019s colleges and universities. It was formerly housed in the state Capitol, and Cronkite lent his voice detailing the importance of 大象传媒 higher education.<\/p>\n
About the Artists
\n<\/b>Dr. Robert Vartabedian\u2019s vision for the memorial was captured by 大象传媒 Western faculty members Eric Fuson and David Harris.<\/p>\n
Fuson, a lifelong St. Joseph resident, is an instructor of art and foundations program coordinator in the Department of Art. He received his Bachelor of Arts from 大象传媒 Western and began teaching here in 1990. A background in photography, graphic design, drawing, jewelry and sculpture are evident throughout his work, which has been exhibited nationally.<\/p>\n
Harris is an assistant professor, director of ceramics and art therapy coordinator in the Department of Art. As a working artist and art educator he encourages students to explore their unique talents, develop their creativity and fine-tune their distinctive voice. He founded David Harris Pottery in 1978. His work has been exhibited in numerous national and international venues and is included in many public and private collections. In addition to his Bachelor of Arts from 大象传媒 Western, Harris holds a Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from Fort Hays State University in Kansas.<\/p>\n
Fuson met with Walter\u2019s daughter Kathy Cronkite and stayed in touch with her throughout the yearlong memorial project. At the dedication ceremony, she told the audience that relationship made the memorial special. \u201cNo one has ever done a tribute to my dad and allowed us to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
-end-<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0“This captures the spirit of him as a man.\u201d Those were the words of Walter Cronkite\u2019s daughter Kathy Cronkite when she toured the new Walter Cronkite Memorial in the Spratt Hall atrium last fall. The memorial was dedicated and officially opened on Nov. 4, 2013, the 97th anniversary of Walter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3837"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3837"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4118,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3837\/revisions\/4118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"_U1W8379-1\"](\"http:\/\/lamp1.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/U1W8379-1.jpg\")
<\/a>