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Charles Kuralt

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Charles Kuralt
Kuralt onCBS News Sunday Morning
Born
Charles Bishop Kuralt

(1934-09-10)September 10, 1934
Wilmington, North Carolina,U.S.
DiedJuly 4, 1997(1997-07-04)(aged 62)
New York City, U.S.
Resting placeOld Chapel Hill Cemetery
Alma materUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Occupation(s)journalist,correspondent,news anchor
Years active1955–1997
EmployerCBS News(1956–1994)
Known for"On the Road"
Spouses
Jean Sory Guthery
​
​
(m.1954;div.1960)​
Suzanne "Petie" Baird
​
​
(m.1962)​
PartnerPatricia Shannon (1968–1997)
Children2
AwardsEmmy Award

Audie Award
Peabody Award
Grammy Award,Spoken Book
George Polk Award
Golden Plate Award
Paul White Award
Ernie PyleAward
Television Hall of Fame
Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism

Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award

Charles Bishop Kuralt(September 10, 1934[1]– July 4, 1997) was an American television, newspaper and radio journalist and author.[2][3]He is most widely known for his long career withCBS,first for his "On the Road" segments onThe CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite,and later as the first anchor ofCBS News Sunday Morning,a position he held for fifteen years.[4]In 1996, Kuralt was inducted intoTelevision Hall of Fameof theNational Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.[5]

Kuralt'sOn the Roadsegments were recognized twice with personalPeabody Awards.[6][7]The first, awarded in 1968, cited those segments as heartwarming and "nostalgic vignettes."[6]In 1975, his award was for his work as aU.S. "bicentennialhistorian "; his work" capture[d] the individuality of the people, the dynamic growth inherent in the area, and...the rich heritage of this great nation. "[7]Kuralt also won anEmmy AwardforOn the Roadin 1978.[5]He shared in a third Peabody awarded toCBS News Sunday Morningin 1979.[8]

Early life

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Kuralt was born inWilmington, North Carolina.[2]His father,Wallace H. Kuralt Sr.was a social worker and his mother, Ina Bishop, was a teacher.[3]In 1945, the family moved toCharlotte, North Carolinawhere his father became Director of Public Welfare inMecklenburg County.[9][10]Their house off Sharon Road, then 10 miles south of the city, was the only structure in the area.[11][12][13]

As a boy, he won a children's sports writing contest for a local newspaper by writing about a dog that got loose on the field during a baseball game. When he was 14 years old, Kuralt became one of the youngest radio announcers in the country, covering minor-league baseball games and hosting a music show.[4]In 1948, he was named one of four NationalVoice of Democracywinners at age 14, where he won a $500 scholarship. Later, atCharlotte's Central High School,Kuralt was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" in his graduating class of 1951.[12]

He attended theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.There, he joined the literary fraternitySt. Anthony Hall.He also became editor ofThe Daily Tar Heeland worked for WUNC radio.[2]He also had a starring role in a radio program calledAmerican Adventure: A Study of Man in The New Worldin the episode titled "Hearth Fire", which aired on August 4, 1955. It is a telling of the advent ofTVA's building lakes written byJohn Ehleand directed by John Clayton. During the summer, he also worked at WBTV in Charlotte.[10]He graduated from UNC in 1955 with a degree in history.[3][4]

Career

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After graduating from UNC, Kuralt worked as a reporter for theCharlotte News.[2]He wrote "Charles Kuralt's People," a column that won anErnie PyleAward in 1956.[3][10]He moved toCBSin 1957 as a writer.[2]When he was 25 years old, he became the youngest correspondent in the history ofCBS News.He became the first host of the primetime seriesEyewitness to Historyin 1960.[4]He also covered the 1960 presidential election.[3]Varietysaid, "Kuralt's a comer. Young, good looking, full of poise and command, deep voiced and yet relaxed and not over-dramatic, he imparts a sense of authority and reliability to his task."[10]

In 1961, he became CBS's Chief Latin American Correspondent, covering 23 countries from a base inRio de Janeiro,Brazil.[14][3][4]In 1963, he became the Chief West Coast Correspondent, moving to Los Angeles.[15][14]The next year, he returned to New York City and the CBS News headquarters.[14]Starting in 1961, he did four tours in Vietnam during the war.[3][4][16]Kuralt said, "" Every time I got sent to Vietnam I seemed to get into some terrible situation without really trying too hard. In 1961, we got the first combat footage of that stage of the war. It was before the U.S. was involved with troops in the field, but we went out with the Vietnamese Rangers and got ambushed. Half the company we were with got killed. We were lucky as hell not to get killed "[16]

He also covered the revolution in the Congo (nowDemocratic Republic of the Congo).[3][4][16]In 1967, Kuralt and a CBS camera crew spent eight weeks withRalph Plaistedin his first attempt to reach the North Pole bysnowmobile,which resulted in the documentaryTo the Top of the Worldand his book of the same name.[16]

Kuralt was said to have tired of what he considered the excessive rivalry between reporters on the hard news beats.[17]He said, "I didn't like the competitiveness or the deadline pressure," he told theAcademy of Television Arts & Sciences,upon his induction into their Hall of Fame. "I was sure thatDick Valerianiof NBC was sneaking around behind my back—and of course, he was!—getting stories that would make me look bad the next day. Even though I covered news for a long time, I was always hoping I could get back to something like my little column on theCharlotte News."[17]

"On the Road"

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Tired of covering war stories, Kuralt proposed to his Boss es a new project: "How about no assignments at all? How about three months of rolling down the Great American Highway, just to see what he could see?"[16]When he finally persuaded CBS to let him try out the idea for three months with a three-person crew. It turned into a quarter-century project, with Kuralt logging more than a million miles.[3]"On the Road" became a regular feature onThe CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkitein 1967 and ran through 1980.[18][4]

Kuralt hit the road in a motor home (he wore out six before he was through) with a small crew and avoided theinterstatesin favor of the nation's back roads in search of America's people and their doings. He said, "Interstate highways allow you to drive coast to coast, without seeing anything".[19]

According to Thomas Steinbeck, the older son ofJohn Steinbeck,the inspiration for "On the Road" was Steinbeck'sTravels with Charley(whose title was initially considered as the name of Kuralt's feature). During his career, he won threePeabody Awardsand tenEmmy Awardsfor journalism. He also won aGeorge Polk Awardsin 1980 for National Television Reporting.[citation needed]

In 2011, Kuralt's format was revived by CBS News, withSteve Hartmantaking Kuralt's space. As of 2023,Hartman continues to host the segment weekly on theCBS Evening News.[20]

CBS Sunday Morninganchor and subsequent CBS roles

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On January 28, 1979, CBS launchedCBS News Sunday Morningwith Kuralt as host. On October 27, 1980, he was added as host of the weekday broadcasts of CBS'Morningshow as well, joined withDiane Sawyeras weekday co-host on September 28, 1981.[4]Kuralt left the weekday broadcasts in March 1982, but continued to anchorSunday Morning.In 1989, he covered the democracy movement in China. From 1990 to 1991, he was an anchor onAmerica Tonight.On April 3, 1994, he retired after 15 years as a host ofSunday Morning,and was replaced byCharles Osgood.[4]

After CBS

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At age 60, Kuralt surprised many by retiring from CBS News. At the time, he was the longest tenured on-air personality in the News Division. However, he hinted that his retirement might not be complete. In 1995, he narrated theTLCdocumentaryThe Revolutionary War.In early 1997, he signed on to host a syndicated, thrice-weekly, ninety-second broadcast,An American Moment,presenting whatCNNcalled "slices of Americana". He agreed to host a CBS cable broadcast show,I Remember,designed as a weekly, hour-long review of significant news from the three previous decades.[3]

Personal life

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Gravestones for Kuralt and his wife Suzanne at theOld Chapel Hill Cemetery

On August 25, 1954, Kuralt married Jean Sory Guthery ofCharlotte, North Carolina.[21]At the time, both Kuralt and Sory were seniors at UNC.[22]They had two daughters, Susan Bowers and Lisa Bowers White. The marriage ended in divorce in 1960. He married Suzanne Baird in 1962.[3]They lived in New York City.[4]

Kuralt refused to alter his habits in favor of healthier ones; he ate unhealthy food, drank and smoked. He was once pulled over for driving under the influence. Late in his life, Kuralt became ill withsystemic lupus erythematosus.[4]Kuralt died from heart failure on July 4, 1997, atNew York–Presbyterian Hospital,aged 62.[4]Kuralt was buried on the UNC grounds inOld Chapel Hill Cemetery.[23]His wife Suzanne died in 1999 and is buried next to him.

After Kuralt's death, questions about his estate led to the public disclosure of his three-decade companionship with aMontanawoman named Patricia Shannon (formerly Patricia Shannon Baker). Kuralt met Shannon while doing a story on Pat Baker Park inReno, Nevada,which Shannon had promoted and volunteered to build in 1968.[24]The park was in a low-income area of Reno that had no parks until Shannon promoted her plan. Kuralt mentioned Shannon and the building of the park — but not the nature of their relationship — in a book he published in 1990 chronicling his early life and journalistic career.[25][26][27][28]With Shannon, Kuralt had a second, "shadow" family; he paid for Shannon to attend theInchbald School of Design,and helped to raise and financially support her three children. Kuralt's wife was apparently unaware of this.[25]After Kuralt's death, Shannon asserted that he had willed her a property inTwin Bridges, Montana;though it was contested by Kuralt's family, her claim was upheld by theMontana Supreme Court.[29][30][31][32][33]

Publications

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Audiobooks

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  • More Charles Kuralt's American Moments(1999)ISBN9780743519984
  • Charles Kuralt's Autumn.(1997)ISBN9780671574376
  • Charles Kuralt's Summer(1997)ISBN9780743542685[34]
  • Charles Kuralt's Spring(1997)ISBN9780743542678[35]
  • Charles Kuralt's Christmas(1996)ISBN9780743542661[36]
  • Charles Kuralt's America(1995)ISBN9780385485104[37]

Books

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Narrator

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Awards

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Honors

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References

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  1. ^Charles Kuralt,A Life on the Road(New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1990), p. 15.
  2. ^abcdef"Inventory of the Charles Kuralt Collection, 1935-1997".University Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. March 15, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon March 15, 2008.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  3. ^abcdefghijklmnopqr"Charles Kuralt, CBS' poet of small-town America, dies at 62".CNN. July 4, 1997. Archived fromthe originalon January 18, 2008.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  4. ^abcdefghijklmSexton, Joe (July 5, 1997)."Charles Kuralt, 62, Is Dead; Chronicler of the Country".The New York Times.p. 24.RetrievedMay 16,2022.
  5. ^abcd"Charles Kuralt".Television Academy.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  6. ^abc"Personal Award: Charles Kuralt for" On the Road "".The Peabody Awards.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  7. ^abc"Personal Award: Charles Kuralt for" On the Road to '76 "".The Peabody Awards.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  8. ^ab"CBS News Sunday Morning".The Peabody Awards.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  9. ^Helms, Ann Doss and Tomlinson, Tommy (September 26, 2011)."Wallace Kuralt's era of sterilization: Mecklenburg's impoverished had few, if any, rights in the '50s and '60s as he oversaw one of the most aggressive efforts to sterilize certain populations".The Charlotte Observer.Archived fromthe originalon March 19, 2012.RetrievedDecember 10,2011.{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^abcdeLowry, Raymond (October 10, 1960)."Goings On".The News and Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina).p. 10.RetrievedMay 17,2022– viaNewspapers.
  11. ^"Photos: Inside boyhood home of Charles Kuralt".wcnc.Archived from the original on October 18, 2013.RetrievedJuly 31,2017.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ab"Charles Kuralt Called it Home".SouthPark Magazine.February 9, 2011.
  13. ^"Charles Kuralt's Boyhood Home".SouthPark Magazine.February 9, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon September 18, 2012.
  14. ^abcde"Kuralt Receives Journalism Award".columbia.edu.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  15. ^"Charles Kuralt Biography - Academy of Achievement".Achievement.org. Archived fromthe originalon December 12, 2010.RetrievedOctober 11,2010.
  16. ^abcdefRense, Rip (November 27, 2017)."Charles Kuralt: Hall of Fame Tribute".Television Academy.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  17. ^ab"Charles Kuralt Interview - page 3 / 5 - Academy of Achievement".Achievement.org. February 28, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon December 12, 2010.RetrievedOctober 11,2010.
  18. ^Stevenson, Seth (October 27, 2009)."The quaint pleasures of" On the Road With Charles Kuralt, "now on DVD. - By Seth Stevenson - Slate Magazine".Slate.RetrievedOctober 11,2010.
  19. ^"John Steinbeck vs Charles Kuralt - Highway History - FHWA".Fhwa.dot.gov.RetrievedOctober 11,2010.
  20. ^"CBS Evening News - On The Road - CBS News".cbsnews.RetrievedAugust 15,2023.
  21. ^"Mrs. Charles Bishop Kuralt".The News and Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina).September 7, 1954. p. 12.RetrievedMay 17,2022– viaNewspapers.
  22. ^"Miss Jean Guthery; Charles Kuralt Wed".The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina).August 29, 1954. p. 46.RetrievedMay 17,2022– viaNewspapers.
  23. ^Eric Peterson (2006)."Charles Kuralt".Ramble.Fulcrum.ISBN9781933108087.
  24. ^39°32′50.1″N119°47′41.9″W/ 39.547250°N 119.794972°W/39.547250; -119.794972
  25. ^abWilliams, Paige (June 1, 1998)."A Double Life on the Road".The Washington Post.RetrievedApril 1,2023.
  26. ^"CNN Transcript -Larry King Live:Charles Kuralt's Longtime Companion Speaks Out ".CNN.February 14, 2001. Archived fromthe originalon February 13, 2011.RetrievedOctober 11,2010.
  27. ^Anez, Bob (June 8, 1999)."Charles Kuralt's secret life".Salon.RetrievedOctober 11,2010.
  28. ^Charles Kuralt,A Life on the Road(New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1990), pp. 134-35.
  29. ^"In re Estate of Kuralt,2000 MT 359, 15 P.3d 931 ".Findlaw.RetrievedJuly 31,2017.
  30. ^"In re Estate of Kuralt,2003 MT 92, 68 P.3d 662 ".Findlaw.RetrievedJuly 31,2017.
  31. ^"In re Estate of Kuralt,1999 MT 111, 981 P.2d 771 ".Findlaw.RetrievedJuly 31,2017.
  32. ^"Kuralt's Montana estate, not mistress, must pay taxes, court says".Independent Record.Helena, Montana.Associated Press.April 21, 2003.RetrievedJuly 31,2017.
  33. ^"Kuralt's Mistress Gets House".CBS News. March 22, 2000.RetrievedSeptember 2,2023.
  34. ^Charles Kuralt's Summer.Simon & Schuster. June 1997.ISBN9780743542685.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  35. ^abCharles Kuralt's Spring.Simon & Schuster. March 1997.ISBN9780743542678.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  36. ^Charles Kuralt's Christmas.Simon & Schuster. November 1996.ISBN9780743542661.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  37. ^ab"SNIPPETS FROM KURALT'S 'PERFECT YEAR IN AMERICA'".Chicago Tribune.November 19, 1999.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  38. ^"Charles Kuralt's People".charleskuraltspeople.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  39. ^Leuchtenburg, William E. (November 1993).Dr. Frank: Life with Frank Porter Graham.American National Biography Online. Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0700438.ISBN9780963891501.
  40. ^abNational Wildlife Refuge System."Charles Kuralt Trail"(PDF).National Park Service.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  41. ^"1996 Audie Awards® - APA (en-US)".audiopub.org.Archived fromthe originalon May 5, 2017.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  42. ^Arizona State University (January 29, 2009)."Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication".RetrievedNovember 23,2016.
  43. ^"Paul White Award".Radio Television Digital News Association.Archived fromthe originalon February 25, 2013.RetrievedMay 27,2014.
  44. ^"Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement".achievement.org.American Academy of Achievement.
  45. ^Salemy, Shirley (June 27, 1993)."1993 Salute to Excellence, Stars of today and tomorrow meet in Glacier"(PDF).Great Falls Tribune.
  46. ^"1995 National Medals of Arts and Humanities Awards Ceremony | C-SPAN.org".c-span.org.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  47. ^"Binding a new generation to this place".The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.August 30, 2014.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  48. ^"Kuralt's office".givingpubs.unc.edu.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
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 CBS News Sunday Morninganchor
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