My Yahoo! screen shows Walter Cronkite dies after a lengthy illness. I find my Facebook chums churning out the Youtube clips of famous moments from CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. I comment on one that he was the face of news for America when he anchored his nightly desk for the Tiffany Network.
Sad to see another 20th Century icon disappear from the stage. I might be sad because it makes me realize the time we walk on this rock is so fleeting. Walter's death reminds many of us just how long we have been here. We take a little stock of things to see how we measure on days like this. I come up very short next to the likes of Walter. Seeing his face on the Facebook walls I pause and remember one day twenty-five years ago very fondly.
I worked for Tower Records, and on this particular day the boss, San Francisco's regional manager, and I were going to lunch with Larry from Polygram. The chosen restaurant was on the edge of Chinatown at one of Herb Caen's favorite eating haunts. Nobody made huge money working for Tower Records, but the perks were always awesome. Larry was rewarding the Columbus & Bay store for hitting an all-time purchasing high with Polygram. A huge Donna Summer record could have been a big reason for our success, but Donna was a not available for lunch. And who were we to refuse such generosity and praise?
The three of us were waiting for our reserved table, and chatting in the very small foyer of the restaurant when Walter Cronkite with his diminutive wife on his arm walked through the door. At this juncture, in the presence of the most famous living newscaster on the planet at the time, I could not control myself. I moved away from Kenny and Larry and welcomed Walter and his wife to San Francisco, and to this world class establishment with a firm handshake. The maitre' D from the restaurant saw this brief interaction, and hurriedly broke between us and whisked Mr. and Mrs. Cronkite from my clutches to "Mr. Caen's special table."
We were seated not far from the Cronkites, but far enough away with plenty of waiters in between to prevent me from any more audacious maneuvers. My companions chided me and joked a bit about the encounter, but we settled down for some serious wine and food explorations. We talked of wineries in Napa, of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. We talked music. We discussed expansion plans and what promise the compact disc showed for the industry. We talked MTV. We ate great food and drank great wine. As we were having another bottle opened and poured for us, who should come to the table? Walter Cronkite tapped my shoulder and thanked me for the heartfelt welcome. He actually winked when he said heartfelt and escorted his wife from the dining area. For one of the few times in my life I was speechless.
We were all a little dumbfounded, but not so dumb as to ignore the glasses in front of us and begin work on a fabulous early 1970s Cabernet. We laughed and spoke about what great times these were to work and live in The City.
When lunch was done I floated back to the store. You could feel the energy around the place. The parking lot was full. The boards on the wall showcased what was cool that month. The marquee had the upcoming in-store details and when the door flew open as a few customers exited I got a big blast of She Works Hard For The Money in my ears.
Another giant passes away today. Thanks for the wonderful memories, Walter. Goodnight.
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