The Walter Cronkite Memorial in Spratt Hall added several new features since opening in November 2013, and a sneak preview was held in June when Walter \u201cChip\u201d Cronkite III visited the Memorial for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s beautiful,\u201d Cronkite said of the Memorial. \u201cDad would be very pleased with this extraordinary exhibit.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the highlights is a beautiful bronze bust of Cronkite on a granite pedestal that was completed this past summer. The artist, Eric Fuson \u201988, instructor of art, worked with the Cronkite family in its creation, said Dr. Gordon Mapley, dean and executive director of the Western Institute. It is slightly larger than life-size, and \u201cit is phenomenally accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also, a second display case was constructed to house Cronkite memorabilia. Since the Memorial opened, Dr. Mapley said several individuals have stepped forward to donate Cronkite memorabilia, and other visitors have mentioned donating items in the future, so additional display space was needed.<\/p>\n
One of the more popular kiosks among locals was the recording of Cronkite\u2019s visit to St. Joseph in 1969, so that was enhanced as part of Phase II. Interactive photos of the individuals featured in the video, many of whom still have local ties, were added next to the kiosk that plays a recording of the event.<\/p>\n
The University recently acquired a planetarium show narrated by Cronkite. Groups now have the option of visiting the Bushman Planetarium in Agenstein Hall to view the show, which has a brief introduction and closing by Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western\u2019s president.<\/p>\n
\u201cWalter Cronkite was an avid supporter of the space program,\u201d Dr. Mapley said. \u201cHe was called upon multiple occasions to narrate programs about space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another new feature is the addition of \u201cCronkite,” \u00a0a live multimedia presentation. Featuring a professional actor, Jim Korinke, the show is a re-enactment of an interview with Walter Cronkite by Larry King on the first anniversary of 9-11. Video, audio and still images were added to enhance and dramatize the performance. The show, conceived and edited by Dr. Vartabedian, is held for large groups in the Kemper Recital Hall next to the Memorial.<\/p>\n
During the interview, in addition to discussing 9-11, King invites Cronkite to reflect on his career and the field of journalism.<\/p>\n
Dr. Mapley said the presentation is scheduled regularly and by appointment for large groups. \u201cThe audio, video, photographic images, musical underscore and a live actor make this a unique and very interesting presentation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final component of Phase II is related to the main kiosk that features 39 historical events covered by Cronkite throughout his career. Originally, visitors could watch Cronkite as he reported the event and, for most of the events, listen to his reflections about these events taped several years later.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>The Walter Cronkite Memorial in Spratt Hall added several new features since opening in November 2013, and a sneak preview was held in June when Walter \u201cChip\u201d Cronkite III visited the Memorial for the first time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful,\u201d Cronkite said of the Memorial. \u201cDad would be very pleased with this extraordinary exhibit.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the highlights is a beautiful bronze bust of Cronkite on a granite pedestal that was completed this past summer. The artist, Eric Fuson \u201988, instructor of art, worked with the Cronkite family in its creation, said Dr. Gordon Mapley, dean and executive director of the Western Institute. It is slightly larger than life-size, and \u201cit is phenomenally accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n Also, a second display case was constructed to house Cronkite memorabilia. Since the Memorial opened, Dr. Mapley said several individuals have stepped forward to donate Cronkite memorabilia, and other visitors have mentioned donating items in the future, so additional display space was needed.<\/p>\n One of the more popular displays among locals was the recording of Cronkite\u2019s visit to St. Joseph in 1969, so that display was enhanced as part of Phase II. Interactive photos of the individuals featured in the video, many of whom still have local ties, were added next to the kiosk that plays a recording of the event.<\/p>\n The University recently acquired a planetarium show narrated by Cronkite. Groups now have the option of visiting the Bushman Planetarium in Agenstein Hall to view the show, which has a brief introduction and closing by Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western\u2019s president.<\/p>\n \u201cWalter Cronkite was an avid supporter of the space program,\u201d Dr. Mapley said. \u201cHe was called upon multiple occasions to narrate programs about space.\u201d<\/p>\n Another new feature is the addition of \u201cWalter Cronkite: A Live Multimedia Presentation.\u201d Featuring a professional actor, Jim Korinke, the show is a re-enactment of an interview with Walter Cronkite by Larry King on the first anniversary of 9-11. Video, audio and still images were added to enhance and dramatize the performance. The show, conceived and edited by Dr. Vartabedian, is held for large groups in the Kemper Recital Hall next to the Memorial.<\/p>\n During the interview, in addition to discussing 9-11, King invites Cronkite to reflect on his career and the field of journalism.<\/p>\n Dr. Mapley said the presentation is scheduled regularly and by appointment for large groups. \u201cThe audio, video, photographic images, musical underscore and a live actor make this a unique and very interesting presentation.\u201d<\/p>\n The final component of Phase II is related to the main kiosk that features 39 historical events covered by Cronkite throughout his career. Originally, visitors could watch Cronkite as he reported the event and, for most of the events, listen to his reflections about these events taped several years later. A third option will be available, thanks to Dr. Steven Greiert, professor of history and department chair. He created video, audio and images that explains the historical context of each event, and its importance to 20th<\/sup> century American history.<\/p>\n For more information about the Walter Cronkite Memorial or to schedule a group visit, call (816) 271-4100 or visit waltercronkitememorial.org<\/p>\n For more information about the Walter Cronkite Memorial or to schedule a group visit, call (816) 271-4100 or visit missouriwestern.edu\/wcm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Walter Cronkite Memorial in Spratt Hall added several new features since opening in November 2013, and a sneak preview was held in June when Walter \u201cChip\u201d Cronkite III visited the Memorial for the first time. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful,\u201d Cronkite said of the Memorial. \u201cDad would be very pleased with this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3850"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3850"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3916,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3850\/revisions\/3916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}