Notable excerpts from his farewell from the CBS Evening News:
"We have shared a lot in the 24 years we've been meeting here each evening. And before I say good night this night, I need to say thank you. Thank you to the thousands of wonderful professionals at CBS News, past and present, with whom it has been my honor to work over these years.
"And a deeply felt thank you to all of you, who have let us in to your homes night after night. It has been a privilege and one never taken lightly.
"Not long after I first came to the anchor chair I briefly signed off using the word 'courage.' I want to return to it now, in a different way, to a nation still nursing a broken heart for what happened here in 2001, and especially to those who found themselves closest to the events of September 11th.
"To our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in dangerous places. To those who have endured the tsunami, and to all who have suffered natural disasters and who must now find the will to rebuild.
"To the oppressed and to those whose lot it is to struggle in financial hardship and failing health. To my fellow journalists in places where reporting the truth means risking all.
"And, to each of you, courage.
"For the 'CBS Evening News,' Dan Rather reporting. Good night."
After the broadcast, more than a hundred CBS News employees crowded the Evening News studio and gave Rather an ovation that lasted several minutes.
Rather said the ovation was "overdone," but then noted that anything worth doing was worth overdoing.
The newsman's wife of 48 years, Jean, stood near the anchor desk, smiling but wiping tears from her eyes. CBS News executives and correspondents toasted Rather with champagne and Wild Turkey, Rather's favorite adult beverage.[...]
The Texas-born Rather has always dreamed of a career in journalism. He grew up in Houston, where he began reporting the news for local radio and TV stations.
"We didn't own a TV set, and we didn't know anybody who did," Rather recently told the Texas Monthly. "My dream was to be a byline reporter on either the Houston Chronicle or the Houston Post."
His breakthrough came in 1961, when his daring coverage of Hurricane Carla for KHOU-TV attracted the attention of CBS.
Below are some memorable events in his CBS career:
1962: Joins CBS News as chief of the network's Southwest bureau, in Dallas, where it was his job to cover 23 states, Mexico and Central America.
Nov. 22, 1963: Reports live from the scene of President John F. Kennedy's assassination. Not only was CBS the first network on the scene, but Rather was also the first to report Kennedy had died.
1964: Promoted to White House correspondent for CBS News.
1965: Sent to Vietnam — at his own request — to cover the war.
1966: Returns to the U.S. and resumes his role as White House correspondent.
1974: His combative style is captured in a memorable moment while exchanging verbal jabs with President Nixon. First, Rather is booed and applauded when he stands to ask Nixon a question. Mr. Nixon turned the question around: "Are you running for something?" "No, sir, Mr. President," Rather shot back. "Are you?" This angers the White Houses. Several CBS affiliates asked for his resignation.
1974: Co-wrote a book about Watergate, "The Palace Guard," which became a best-seller. Another book, "The Camera Never Blinks," was published in 1977.
1980: Slips into Afghanistan in disguise following the Soviet invasion. The escapade earns him a nickname: "Gunga Dan."
March 9, 1981: CBS Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite retires, and Rather takes over.
1986: Rather is attacked and badly beaten on Park Avenue by a deranged man later convicted of murdering an NBC stagehand. Rather’s woozy recollection of his attacker’s words, "What’s the frequency, Kenneth?," becomes the title of a song by rock band R.E.M.
1987: Rather walks off the CBS Evening News set in anger after the network decided to let the U.S. Open tennis tournament run overtime, cutting into the news broadcast. CBS was left with dead air for six minutes.
Jan. 25, 1988: In an interview with then-Vice President George H.W. Bush, Rather presses the future president about his involvement in the Iran-Contra affair. A heated exchange follows, with Mr. Bush asking Rather whether he wished to be judged for the tennis walk-off.
1990: Is the first American journalist to interview Saddam Hussein after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
March 31, 1999: Secures an exclusive first sit-down interview with President Clinton following the Lewinsky scandal and his impeachment by the House.
2001: Breaks into tears twice while discussing the 9/11 attacks on David Letterman’s late-night show a few days after the tragedy.
Feb. 24, 2003: Gets the most sought-after interview in the world: an exclusive one-on-one with Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, the first time the Iraqi leader talks with an American journalist since 1991.
Nov. 23, 2004: Rather announces he will step down March 9, 2005, as anchor of the CBS Evening News.
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