reminiscence by LEO
E. LAURENCE, J.D.
Copyright © 2011 by Leo E. Laurence for Zenger’s
Newsmagazine • All rights reserved
Andy Rooney, who
produced weekly CBS commentaries on 60 Minutes about the absurdities of everyday life, was practically deified when he
died at 92 on Nov. 4th, just weeks after his farewell broadcast. CBS News said
he died of complications after minor surgery.
He had written
and aired 1,097 original essays on final broadcast on October 2, and had worked
for CBS News for 62 years.
The network had
hired me in 1996 to work on its coverage of the Republican National Convention
in San Diego.
One day while
walking in a secure section behind the convention center, I found myself
walking behind a hump-backed old man wearing a suit that looked like he had
slept in it.
I particularly
noticed that his shoes were so worn out that the old man was literally walking
on the sides of the heels. I thought he looked homeless … but I figured a
homeless person couldn’t be inside the security zone limited to only CBS News
personnel.
However,
everything about this man looked poor, even his unkempt hair.
Out of
curiosity, I followed him right into the huge tent used by CBS News to feed its
entire crew. I still hadn’t seen his face.
Not until we got
to the long, food line did I realize that I had been following the
world-renowned Andy Rooney. Oddly, everyone was ignoring him.
After we got our
food, he sat alone at a table and I asked if I could join him.
“Of course,” he
said, amicably.
His clothes were
a mess. He sat bent over his food, looking even older than the 79 he was.
Though I was 65
at the time, he treated me like a grandson over lunch.
Usually when
meeting a famous person, I’m the one asking questions as a journalist. But
Rooney was filled with questions for me. He
asked about my family and my life, seeming
more interested in me than I was about him.
Whenever I asked
him a question, he managed to twist the answer around to talk about my life,
not his.
Somehow, he made
me feel special, as if the world
revolved around me, rather than him being the superstar.
Yet I was
stunned by his homeless look.
During our
casual, lunchtime conversation, I was especially surprised when he interrupted
the flow of our chat with an admission: “While you don’t look Gay, I guess you
are and I want to apologize for a commentary I made in 1990.
“I’m not
homophobic, and I made a big mistake by comparing homosexual marriages with smoking
and drinking that can lead to premature death.”
That surprised
me. He was able to read me so correctly, and he was still uncomfortable with a broadcast that he had made so many
years ago.
He had been
given a three-month suspension by CBS News for that commentary.
I still remember
that he looked homeless to me.
