Leaving a Mark

Last night some friends and I were talking about the late Tim Russert, an ever-present fixture in all our hearts as often as he was on our televisions.  Russert was our city’s son, our constitution’s cheerleader and a champion for the same political system that jades most of us to the point of disillusionment.  His interest in preserving the precious gears that keep our country moving in one direction or another was matched only by his dedication to researching and presenting background information in a digestible and logical way.  The last two presidential election coverages were kept understandable—it not logical—because of his simple verbal construction and presentation.  For that alone, we can be sad for what we will miss during this year’s election.

But our conversation was not regarding Russert’s legacy, the significance of which will take many months to appreciate.  We were discussing the circumstances surrounding his son’s appearance on The Today Show on NBC a couple days after his father’s death.  One friend was mentioning how he thought it was untimely for a man’s son to go on national television to talk about his recently deceased father.  I understood the rationale for that argument, though I personally find his words to be comforting and deeply personal in a time of loss.  It is beautiful to see our son’s son talk about his father’s legacy, and in doing so being an example of that legacy.  Here are the first and second parts of the interview as seen on The Today Show.

Be proud of Russert for his journalism, for his hometown pride, for his son and wife and family, and for whatever else his life has given you.  Be happy that we had his intelligence and time while we did, and make sure his professional footprint remain in our minds and hearts as we head into this year’s presidential election, and every news cycle to follow.

Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Posted by on 06/19 at 11:17 AM