Lunch with J&J

Bob Lutz and I try to have lunch with Jerry and Janice Ratts about once a month. Jerry retired from the Eagle about 8 years ago after working there about 35 years. Jerry was the State Editor for the Eagle and my boss when I was an intern in 1980. One of my enduring memories is when Jerry assigned me to do a "bright" about CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite delivering the news one night with a map of the United States behind him. The only problem was that, somehow, the map did not include the state of Kansas. Jerry told me that I needed to call Cronkite at CBS News in New York and get his comment, seeing as how Cronkite had relatives who hailed from Kansas. I thought he was kidding. How was I ever going to get someone as famous and legendary as Cronkite to talk to me on the phone? But he was serious, so I found a number for CBS, asked for the news department, then asked for Walter Cronkite when a woman answered the phone. To my dismay, the next voice I heard was the unmistakeably smooth baritone of Cronkite on the line. I interviewed him for a couple of minutes, during which he gave me a great quote about how sorry he was for the mistake and how his ancestors were probably turning over in their grave because of it. The story ran on 1A.
Many years later, after I returned to the Eagle, I helped organize Jerry's retirement party, which, as far as I'm concerned, is still one of the best parties I've ever attended. Jerry turned 70 last August, but looks great and is thoroughly enjoying retirement with Janice. A postscript: Jerry is one of the funniest people I've ever known. Throughout his career, right up to the day he retired, whenever someone new at the Eagle asked him what his wife's name was, he always responded: "Mrs. Ratts."