Remembering Ed Bradley

(November 13, 2006)

As I was telling Henry Kissinger just the other day, “One thing I cannot stand is a ‘name-dropper’.” Just because one meets or knows a famous person does not make one more or less important; unless in the meeting the person bestows a grace that enriches another’s life.

I was saddened at the news of CBS Corresponded Ed Bradley death last week. It brought back a brief encounter I was fortunate to have with him in 1976. He was a rising newsman, and had been given the assignment to follow a little-know peanut farmer from Georgia who had the audacity to think he could be elected President. I was pastor of a church in Green Bay, Wisconsin. After writing Governor Jimmy Carter to offer support to my fellow Southerner, I was surprised the Governor contacted me, stating Wisconsin would be a crucial state in his campaign strategy.

Operating on a shoe-string budget, Carter’s staff asked if I would allow members of the Carter family to stay in my home on their trips to Green Bay. Of course, I agreed. One day I answered the door bell, and there stood Chip Carter and his wife, with that unmistakable Carter smile. They slept in the guest room.

Another day, I received a call from Carter HQ’s asking me to meet the Governor at the Green Bay Airport, and escort him to a rally-news conference at the City Auditorium. It was quite an experience shaking hands with Jimmy Carter as his local campaign manager, and then being hustled downtown with a small press entourage.

The auditorium was packed, and I stood at the doorway next to a tall news reporter. “Hi, I’m Bill Jenkins,” I said as I extended a handshake. “I’m Ed Bradley,” he replied. “I’ve seen you on TV” was my feeble attempt to strike up a conversation. After a few moments of silence, while listening to Jimmy Carter expound his platform, I said to Mr. Bradley, “You must get tired of hearing the same speech several times a day.” He smiled, and said, “It beats washing cars. Besides, it’s the people, like you, who make the difference in every location.” He proceeded to ask me why I was there, and what connection I had to the campaign…made me feel important. We spoke for just a few minutes about whether either of us thought Carter had a real chance of being elected President, and suddenly the campaign appearance was done. We hustled back to the airport where Carter and the news corp boarded the plane, flying off to the next stop to do it all over again.

The 2006 midterm elections are history, and we are already off and running for presidential race. This one will not be as interesting without Ed Bradley’s keen insights. “It’s the people, like you, who make the difference!”

From the Quote Garden
"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
~Winston Churchill.