Peter Jennings

What do you say about the consummate professional? I grew up with Peter Jennings, as many of us did, and his voice brought clarity through the cacaphony of the world's events. His style was timeless and he brought an absolute sense of humanity to the news desk. His experiences became our experiences because he wanted to share them - to let us step into a world that we had not actually travel but he HAD, and he knew there were lessons to be learned at every step for those willing to listen. This is what set him apart - the constant drive to learn, and more importantly for us, to share what he learned.

A couple of years ago I was returning from studying in El Salvador for the summer when I met him on the curb at SFO. For 10 minutes he talked to me about my recent trip and what I learned, about where I was in school (a journalism major, with great interest in his career), and how did I liked San Francisco? This man, on a trip to visit his son who was going to school in California, appeared to be interested only in what I had to say about my life. The only thing that broke up this conversation was the arrival of my sister, and she thought I was talking to a professor of mine - he was so easy going and engaging.

I will never forget Mr. Jennings, from my kitchen every night before dinner during my youth, or from the curbside where we met at SFO during my senior year of college. When an athlete or movie star dies, even if they were your favorite, you realize that to you they were the best at whatever it was that they did - but they also simply played a role in the trivial side of life. Many people, including myself at times, will argue that the major news networks are little more than that themselves, but the fact remains for those of us who watch the nightly national news that these people become trusted members of something just beyond family. They bring us the positive news, but they also know how to cushion the blow of the negative. They are the cognoscenti of all things beyond our local radar at best, our in house international gossip columnist at worst. Peter was the best at it. The void left is enormous and it will remain for quite some time...