Milestones Sep. 25, 2006

(2 of 2)

I've known every First Lady going back to Eleanor Roosevelt. But forget them and Mother Teresa too. I think Ann Richards, who died of cancer last week at age 73, was the greatest woman I have ever known. The former Governor of Texas was electrifying, brilliant, loyal, tolerant. She was also exhausting. I am surprised Ann stopped long enough to leave this world. She loved telling stories. One of her favorites was about taking her darling grandchild Lily to see the Queen of England. Later Ann asked Lily what she remembered. "The Queen had lipstick on her teeth!" said Lily. I heard Ann tell this anecdote to masters of the universe, and they'd fall out of their chairs and start writing checks for charity. Ann, you were always the most alive person in the universe. To me, you always will be.

Rather Goes HD

UPDATE

DAN RATHER may have been replaced at CBS Evening News by Katie Couric, but he hasn't signed off. Next month the veteran journalist will again take an anchor seat, as host of the weekly news program Dan Rather Reports on HDNet, a high-definition TV network that airs in 3 million homes. The one-hour show will draw heavily from the Rather repertoire: field reports, investigative stories, interviews. "I want Dan Rather to be Dan Rather," says Mark Cuban, sports mogul and chairman of HDNet. To that end, he named Rather the show' s producer and gave him full editorial control. For Rather, that means he can pursue stories without worrying about what the suits upstairs think. "Free people in a democratic system need hard news," says Rather, who plans to roam the country in pursuit of serious stories and heavy hitting interviews. "I am an all-day runner and a long distance hunter." The Ratherisms too are back.