On June 8, 1966, Bill Kurtis left a tax review class at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka to fill in at WIBW-TV. During the nation’s most destructive tornado at the time, he stayed on air for 24 hours and delivered lifesaving guidance to viewers. While supporting his wife and child and studying for the bar exam, he became the voice of reason on television. His memoir, Whirlwind: My Life Reporting the News, links attorney training to a six-decade career, including coverage of major trials and investigations such as Agent Orange. He later worked as a CBS News anchor and executive producer of legal-oriented documentary series including Cold Case Files, American Greed, and Investigative Reports.
"To this day, I get nervous, almost tear up. What warning to get people into a shelter to save their lives? I thought about cussing and crying. But I had a thought, and so [I said] "For God's sake, take cover," which is different than the regular, "We'd like you to go to the shelters." Afterward, people calling in had dramatic accounts. "You saved my life. I was watching television and watching Bill Kurtis, and without that, why, we would not be here." Well, you talk about making an impression. So I said, maybe God was showing me a really big sign that I couldn't ignore. So I'm going to stay in television."
Read at ABA Journal
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]