“I believe that writing is derivative. I think
good writing comes from good reading.” – Charles Kuralt
Kuralt was one of those journalists who
could find the “hidden gem” stories. He
was a master at sharing life from America’s backroads through his in-depth and
heartfelt reporting. Widely known for
his "On the Road" segments on The CBS Evening News with Walter
Cronkite, he later became the first anchor of the wonderful CBS News Sunday
Morning, which has continued his feature reporting tradition.
Born in September of 1934 in
Wilmington, NC, he said he couldn’t remember a time when he didn't want to be a
reporter. “I don't know where I got the idea that it was a romantic calling,
but I thought it was,” he said. “Kids
are always asked, ‘What are you going to be when you grow up?’ I needed an
answer. So instead of saying, a fireman, or a policeman, I said, a reporter.”
He started his career as a radio
announcer for a local station at age 14, then edited the college newspaper at
the University of North Carolina. Right
out of college, he started as a reporter for the Charlotte News where he
wrote "Charles Kuralt's People," a column that won him a prestigious
Ernie Pyle Award. After moving to CBS as
a writer, he became well known as the host of the Eyewitness to History
series, traveling around the world for the network. His eye for historical stories led to a
series during America’s Bicentennial that won him a Peabody Award
for reporting. In all, he would win
three Peabodys, including one for “On The Road,” for which he also won multiple
Emmys.
“I think all those people I did
stories about ‘On The Road’ measured their own success by the joy their work
was giving them,” he said. 
“The everyday
kindness of the back roads more than makes up for the acts of greed in the
headlines.”
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