Russert Was an Honorable Man

By Letters To The Editor

Published: June 24, 2008

I am saddened by the sudden, untimely death of NBC’s Tim Russert. How deeply mourned he seems to be, how dearly loved. In this day of rampant greed, selfishness, dishonesty and ingratitude, people still recognize what virtue is, and, even when they don’t strive to practice virtue, they still admire it.

Russert’s love and gratitude for his father, Big Russ, the former garbage collector from Buffalo, N.Y., is very inspiring. I wish that all children appreciated their parents so much, and the sacrifices their parents make for them. “Honor your father and mother,” says the Fifth Commandment, and Russert did this. He also exemplified the virtues of humility, simplicity, loyalty, honesty, the work ethic and devotion to his family. 

He was a man of humble origin, yet he was never ashamed of his father but proud of him. He was simple and down-to-earth. Remember his dry-erase board during the 2000 election, on which he wrote “Florida, Florida, Florida”?

He was always loyal to his family, his hometown, his hometown team, the Buffalo Bills, his job at NBC, his church and his ethnic origins as an Irish Catholic.

Obviously a man of integrity, he cleverly caught tricky and deceptive politicians in their own contradictions on “Meet the Press” and brought truth and insight to his viewing audience. A hard worker, he once worked on the garbage trucks in Buffalo but rose to become an attorney and moderator of “Meet the Press,” a world-class journalist.

He seemed to radiate friendliness, love and kindness. Thank you, Mr. Russert. Go, Bills. Go, Tim! Heaven could not wait for you any longer. Our loss is heaven’s gain.

Lilli Buck
Bristol, Va.