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Kathy Willens/AP
A Celebration of the Life of Tim Russert
June 18, 2008 11:44 PM
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The “Meet the Press” host, who died suddenly at the age of 58 on Friday, June 13, is remembered at a funeral and memorial service in Washington, D.C.
30-Second Summary
Russert collapsed and died of a heart attack in NBC’s Washington bureau Friday afternoon, causing a wave grief among journalists covering the story and fans mourning the loss of the man who had hosted “Meet the Press” for the past 17 years.
When cameras opened on the set of Meet the Press on Sunday morning, Russert's empty chair was front and center.
A wake for Russert was held at St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 17. Thousands of fans from around the country attended.
On Wednesday morning, June 18, a private funeral service was held in Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown. The Russert family requested that political opponents sit together, and to "disavow the low tactics that distract Americans from the most important issues facing our country."
On Wednesday afternoon, a memorial service was held at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Russert's NBC colleague Tom Brokaw began the service by declaring "this is a celebration" and promising the service would be "Irish style."
Tim Russert's elementary school nun and former New York Governor Mario Cuomo spoke, and Bruce Springsteen performed live via satellite. But the most memorable performance was delivered in a eulogy by Russert's son, Luke.
When cameras opened on the set of Meet the Press on Sunday morning, Russert's empty chair was front and center.
A wake for Russert was held at St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 17. Thousands of fans from around the country attended.
On Wednesday morning, June 18, a private funeral service was held in Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown. The Russert family requested that political opponents sit together, and to "disavow the low tactics that distract Americans from the most important issues facing our country."
On Wednesday afternoon, a memorial service was held at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Russert's NBC colleague Tom Brokaw began the service by declaring "this is a celebration" and promising the service would be "Irish style."
Tim Russert's elementary school nun and former New York Governor Mario Cuomo spoke, and Bruce Springsteen performed live via satellite. But the most memorable performance was delivered in a eulogy by Russert's son, Luke.
Headline Links: Celebrating Russert's life
Tom Brokaw began Tim Russert's memorial service at Washingon D.C.'s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts by declaring, "This is a celebration." Promising that the service would be "Irish style," Brokaw vowed to deliver "some laughs, some tears, and the occasional truth." In discussing Russert, Brokaw summed him up in a three-word quote that Russert often uttered: "What a country." Other speakers included media colleagues, Sister Lucille Socciarelli, the elementary teacher that Russert credited for encouraging him to be a journalist, former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, and Russert's son Luke.
Source: Politico.Com
At findingDulcinea, we endeavor to find links to remarkable Web content, and to distill that content into a summary that conveys a fine sense of what users will find if they click through to the link provided. At the memorial service held today, Luke Russert, 22 year-old son of Tim Russert, delivered a remarkable, life-affirming 7 1/2 minute eulogy that (i) we do not even deign to summarize, as it must be experienced in its entirety to be appreciated fully, and (ii) provides hope that America's love affair with eloquent members of the Russert family shall continue into the future.
Source: The Washington Post
The New York Times reports that at the funeral, Tim Russert's 22 year-old son, Luke Russert, made the seating arrangements; Barack Obama sat next to John McCain. From the pulpit, he implored the candidates to honor his father's memory and "engage in spirited debate but disavow the low tactics that distract Americans from the most important issues facing our country." Hours later, at a memorial service at the Kennedy Center, Bill Clinton sat next to Condoleezza Rice, and Bob Dole sat with Madeleine Albright. Speakers included former New York governor Mario Cuomo and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, both of whom had employed Russert as a staff member. And the final appearance came remotely; shown via satellite, from Germany, was a performance of "Thunder Road" by Bruce Springsteen, whose concerts Tim Russert attended faithfully.
Source: The New York Times
“Meet the Press” was dedicated to Russert’s memory on Sunday, including clips of the host on the job and commentary from some of his closest friends. The MSNBC site includes a link to Sunday’s entire program, as well as several video montages of Russert, photos, and video of Russert’s son, Luke, who taked about his father on "The Today Show” Monday morning.
Source: MSNBC
Hundreds turned out to honor Russert’s memory at Tim Russert Park in Buffalo on Sunday. The “Meet the Press” star had stayed true to his hometown roots, even after making it big, many said. “He was so gung-ho about Buffalo, and he was so proud of being a Buffalonian,” said Ann Oxley, who attended the vigil. “And so are we.”
Source: The Buffalo News
Bruce Springsteen performed a concert at Cardiff Millennium Stadium on Saturday, June 14. He dedicated "Thunder Road" to a "longtime friend of the E Street Band," and said that "Tim Russert was an important, unreplaceable voice in American journalism ... He was always a strong voice for honesty and accountability in American government ... He was a regular at many E Street Band shows and I'm going to miss looking down and seeing that big smiling face in the crowd."
Source: BruceSpringsteen.net
Background: Russert dies at 58
Russert was the chief of NBC News' Washington bureau, and it was there that he suffered a fatal heart attack on Friday afternoon. Russert was a member of the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame and had received numerous awards in journalism, including the John Peter Zenger Award, the American Legion Journalism Award, the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Journalism Award.
Source: MSNBC
Dr. Michael Newman explains that Russert suffered from coronary artery disease and struggled with his weight, but that a stress test on April 29th showed "excellent cardiac function at a very high level of excercise." Newman also said that "Tim would have passed that stress test [Friday] morning" because cholesterol had built up in the wall of his coronary artery but was not restricting bloodflow. His heart attack was caused, says Newman, by a sudden rupture of cholesterol plaque.
Source: "The Today Show"
Russert is reported to have suffered from diabetes. His death came just days after a US News & World Report article reported that diabetics must focus on risks to their cardiovascular health as much as they focus on blood sugar.
Source: findingDulcinea
Reactions: Political blogs respond
Andrew Sullivan writes that Russert was always “extremely kind and courteous” to him in a post on his political blog, The Daily Dish: “It’s a shocking piece of news. There were limits to the Russert style of gotcha-interviewing. But he took political accountability to new levels in journalism, and always treated his subjects fairly.”
Source: The Daily Dish
“As I sit here listening to the tributes pouring over all of the news networks I hear the people talk about how wonderful of a person he was. Normally you might think that they are simply being kind to the departed, but in this case you get the real feeling that the sentiments are genuine. The grief demonstrated by those who knew him is too real to be anything but sincere,” writes Patrick Edaburn on The Moderate Voice, a news blog, of Russert’s death.
Source: The Moderate Voice
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