The Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) has awarded a grant of $2,500 to Missouri Western State University in support of the project, “Harry & Walter: Missouri’s Native Sons.” The MHC is the only state-wide agency in Missouri devoted exclusively to humanities education for citizens of all ages. It has served as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities since 1971.
Walter Cronkite, who anchored the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981 and earned a reputation as “The Most Trusted Man in America,” was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on Nov. 4, 1916. Missouri Western opened the Walter Cronkite Memorial on what would have been Cronkite’s 97th birthday in 2013.
The following year, a live multimedia performance titled “Cronkite” premiered. Video, still photographs and music combine with a live performance by actor Jim Korinke in the title role. Adapted from an appearance by Cronkite on CNN’s “Larry King Live” in September 2002, “Cronkite” features the journalist reflecting on the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and other major events he covered.
In 2015, a second live multimedia performance premiered. “Harry & Walter: Missouri’s Native Sons” offers a glimpse into the many parallels of the personal and professional lives of two famous Missourians, Harry Truman and Walter Cronkite. The production features Korinke as Cronkite and Ken Remmert as Truman. It will be performed at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum on May 8, Truman’s birthday.
A third show, exploring the Civil Rights movement through the words of a significant leader of the movement and reflections of Cronkite, is scheduled to premiere in 2016, the centennial year of Cronkite’s birth.
In addition to the Missouri Humanities Council, “Harry & Walter” has received support from Buchanan County, the City of St. Joseph and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
For more information about the grants program of the Missouri Humanities Council, call 314-781-9660 or 800-357-0909 or write to the MHC, 513 Hanley Industrial Court, Suite 205, St. Louis, Missouri 63144-1905. For more information about the Walter Cronkite Memorials and the multimedia performances, visit www.waltercronkitememorial.org.
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.