Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite as a Student at the University of Texas (1930s)
United States
United States › Texas › Travis County › Austin

This photograph shows a young Walter Cronkite relaxing while reading during his student years at the University of Texas at Austin in the early 1930s. Long before he became one of the most trusted voices in American journalism, Cronkite was a university student developing his passion for reporting and storytelling.

Although he was born in Missouri, Cronkite moved to Houston, Texas, when he was ten years old. He attended Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, Lanier Junior High School, and later San Jacinto High School, where he served as editor of the school newspaper and was also active in the Boy Scouts.

Cronkite entered the University of Texas at Austin in 1933, where he worked on the student newspaper, The Daily Texan, and joined the Nu chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity. During his time at the university he also briefly explored acting, appearing in a stage production alongside fellow student Eli Wallach, who would later become a well-known actor.

In 1935, Cronkite left the university to pursue journalism full-time, beginning a career that would eventually make him one of the most respected news anchors in American television history.

Image courtesy of the University of Texas at Austin.

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