A Son's Farewell to Ed Bradley

As far back as I can remember, "60 Minutes" was a mainstay in my home on Sunday evenings. Except for the months during the NFL season, without fail the tic tic tic tic tic would start promptly at 7:00 pm EST.

60 Minutes was not a program that I appreciated right away, but I remember it as a time that I spent with my mother and father learning about important and interesting things going on in the world. The routine of our family viewing impressed upon me that there was something worthwhile to take away from the broadcast, and it was in this program that I developed an early appreciation for what quality journalism was.

During his tenure on the program, Ed Bradley was just as impressive as any of his colleagues, yet he struck me as significant because he was black. Diane Sawyer (when she was on the program) had a similar impression on me as a female journalist on the program. The news media then was even more so than now dominated by white-male faces, particularly among the highly-regarded journalists, so Bradley's place on "60 Minutes" carved out an important social, political, and journalistic space.

I don't remember his pieces standing out as better than his colleagues. Over the years, the program has been marked by consistent, quality journalism period. I do remember that his voice always seemed soothing and he had a cool suaveness to him. Those who are followers of "60 Minutes" will surely miss the man and what he brought to the broadcast. For me, I will remember him with fond memories of those Sunday nights on the couch with Mom and Dad, seeing an important man, reporting on important matters as part of an important journalist team with the familiar, comforting, and consistent tic tic tic tic ticking signaling the beginning and end of segments.