Dr. Robert Vartabedian, president of Missouri Western State University, will talk about Missouri Western’s Walter Cronkite Memorial during an interview on Westwood One’s nationally syndicated radio talk show The Jim Bohannon Show. The segment, which was recorded Monday evening, is scheduled to air at approximately 11:35 p.m. Central time Tuesday, Dec. 1. The Jim Bohannon Show can be heard on more than 300 radio stations nationwide, including locally on KFEQ-AM (680) in St. Joseph, KMA-AM (960) in Shenandoah, Iowa, and KMA-FM (99.1) in southwest Iowa.
Walter Cronkite, who became known as “The Most Trusted Man in America” while anchoring the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981, was born in St. Joseph in 1916. Missouri Western dedicated the Walter Cronkite Memorial inside Spratt Hall on what would have been his 97th birthday, Nov. 4, 2013. It has since been expanded to include more display cases, a bronze bust of Cronkite created by Missouri Western artist-in-residence Eric Fuson, and a replica of the CBS newsroom from which Cronkite broadcast the news. Also added to the memorial have been two live multimedia shows – “Cronkite” and “Harry and Walter: Missouri’s Native Sons.” The Walter Cronkite Memorial is open to the public daily except for Christmas, New Year’s Day and Easter, and admission is always free.
Jim Bohannon is one of America’s top radio personalities. He was nominated for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Marconi Radio Award for the Network Syndicated Personality of the Year. He is a recipient of a Special Recognition First Amendment Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association and was named by the TALKERS magazine editorial board as the 2013 recipient of the publication’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also an inductee into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.