Many of us grew up watching Walter Cronkite (1916-2009) deliver the news to our homes, via our television screens. He showed up in fuzzy shades of black and white at first; and then later, in sharp color. His was the voice of authority in our lives, as far as the news went. If Walter said it, then indeed, that's the way it was.

Cronkite Remembers is an audio presentation that combines personal memoir with lessons in 20th century history. Walter tells us of his childhood and his family life, and then moves on to the places and the situations where his career has led him. We follow his path as it moves from working with newspapers and radio and into, eventually, television. And he shares with us the kinds of news stories that he covered.

Walter's narrative naturally proceeds in general chronological order. Once we get into the 1940s and '50s, though, some events are grouped together as a theme. Like covering various U.S. presidents over the years, for example. (Because even though we all live in chronological order, we witness a variety of events happening simultaneously. It's difficult to portray EVERYTHING that is going on, at any single moment in time. It's easier to approach topics by theme. I have learned this technique from writing some biographical material myself.)

Of course, certain key events stand out, like the Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968, and the Apollo moon landing in 1969. And although Walter refers to President Kennedy a few times as he goes along, the listener may grow impatient to reach what he HAS to cover eventually: the Kennedy assassination in Dallas in November 1963. Something that many people refer to as having learned from Walter Cronkite himself, during break-through news reporting that interrupted the regular programming. Yes, we hear about how the newsroom got the information and what was going on behind the scenes that day, as well as some details of what the network's own investigation gleaned afterward. It's a story well worth waiting for.

We're not listening just to Walter talk here. The producers add archival sound bites and quick interviews with select people related to the stories. This offering is a full production. I can find no companion book that copies its text. Such a publication would be ineffective anyway; and it would not be as powerful in its coverage as this audio one is. The extra interviews would end up being mere sidebars, and not part of the mainstream product itself. People would miss them. Besides, Walter's specialty was in using his voice.

When we do further research, we find (and remember!) that he recorded a video series called Walter Cronkite Remembers for Reader's Digest Videos in the late 1990s. So this CD does not represent a brand-new concept. It's just a slightly different, boiled down one.

Listening to THIS Cronkite Remembers is a walk down memory lane, both for him and for us. Amazingly enough, the recording runs for just about an hour. It covers a lot of territory in such a short period of time. Just enough minutes for us to remember the momentous, historic events that we lived through. And to remember an accomplished journalist and broadcaster who shared those times with us. Thanks, Walter!