OUR PEOPLE
Remembering
Ben Silver The Cronkite School lost a special friend and supporter in May 2012 when Professor Emeritus Ben Silver passed away from complications of Parkinson’s disease at his home in St. Louis Park, Minn., at age 85. Silver came to Arizona State University after a long and distinguished career as a broadcast journalist. He began teaching in what was then the university’s Department of Mass Communication and later became the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He retired in 1990 after 18 years of teaching. After his retirement, Silver and his wife, Linda, funded a scholarship for Cronkite students. “Ben was an amazingly popular professor,” said Cronkite Dean Christopher Callahan. “Some of our best and brightest alumni today are remembering a person they called their favorite professor and most influential mentor. He had an inspirational impact on many young journalists through his teaching and continued that positive effect on today’s students through his scholarship.” Cronkite Professor John Craft, who taught alongside Silver, called him a “great guy and a huge part of the early days of the Department of Mass Communication, teaching everything there was to teach about broadcast reporting.” Bill Miller, former chairman of the Cronkite School Endowment Board of Trustees and founder of MagicDust Television, added, “Hundreds of former students have lost a teacher who truly shaped their lives. The world has lost a very good man.” Prior to coming to ASU, Silver was a national correspondent for CBS News, covering some of the major stories of the 1960s, including race riots, school integration and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s accident at Chappaquiddick. As a CBS News reporter, Silver worked with prominent journalists such as Dan Rather, Mike Wallace and, of course, Walter Cronkite, who was anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News.
Senior Associate Dean Marianne Barrett helps Professor Ben Silver get ready for a Cronkite School convocation ceremony. Photo by Ryan A. Ruiz.
He brought those relationships with him to the Cronkite School. “Ben could get on the phone and ask people from CBS News to come out and visit with us,” Craft said. “That brought a tremendous amount of credibility.” Brian Rackham, a former student of Silver’s who is now enrolled in the Cronkite School’s doctoral program, called Silver “a mentor and a friend who inspired my love of journalism.” “He was an excellent teacher who recognized potential in his students and encouraged them to follow their dreams,” Rackham wrote in Silver’s online guest book. “Ben left a lasting impression on me and countless other aspiring journalists.” Former student Robin Schiebler Cacopardo said Silver was “my most memorable professor during my time at ASU.” “He challenged me to be a better journalist and took a personal interest in my work,” Cacopardo wrote in the guest book. “It was a privilege to study under him.” Before joining CBS, Silver worked at WCKT-TV in Miami from 1957 to 1966, reporting from the Soviet Union and throughout Latin America. He won a Peabody Award in 1960 for his coverage of Latin America. He also covered Fidel Castro’s takeover of Cuba, the Cuban missile crisis and the early days of the space program. A New York native, Silver dropped out of high school at age 17 to join the Army in honor of his oldest brother, Morris, who died in the World War II battle for Normandy. Upon his return, he earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and later a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa. He began his broadcasting career in Sioux City, Iowa, at KTIV-TV. He is survived by his wife, six children and 11 grandchildren. o
In Memoriam The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication respectfully honors those alumni and friends who recently have passed away. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and loved ones as we pause to remember the many contributions they made to the Cronkite School. Diana Maria Balazs ’79 Terry Brennan ’82 James D. “Dave” Chamberlain Jeanette Marie Frantz ’83 Jack Alan “Frazier” Fryxell ’67 Clarence W. Fusselman Jr. ’60 Mary Alice Mullen Gindhart ’89 Alexander Dean Haler Daniel Steven Kemp Suzanne Leslie (Randall) McIntyre ’83 Sarah “Sally” Louise (Hinderland) Ordini ’79 June Patricia Payne Ben Silver, professor emeritus Dean Ellis Smith ‘44 Stanley E. Smith, professor emeritus Betty Waters Randi Weinstein
The Cronkite Journal
2012-2013
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