The Walter Cronkite Memorial at 含羞草社区 will celebrate the centennial of the legendary journalist鈥檚 birth by taking live multimedia performances on the road to Independence, Missouri on May 8; Kansas City, Missouri on July 11; New York City on Sept. 23; and Washington, D.C. on Sept. 25, as well as a performance at Missouri Western on Cronkite鈥檚 birthday. In addition to the shows, Eric Fuson, artist-in-residence, will put together special exhibits relating to Cronkite for some of the venues.

鈥淚鈥檓 very excited that the hard work and talent of the extraordinary cast and crew of our shows will be on display for audiences beyond St. Joseph,鈥� said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western鈥檚 president.

Walter Cronkite was born in St. Joseph on Nov. 4, 1916. On what would have been his 97th birthday in 2013, Missouri Western dedicated the Walter Cronkite Memorial, a 6,000-square-foot museum featuring video kiosks, memorabilia, interpretive displays and a replica of the newsroom from which Cronkite broadcast the CBS Evening News.

As a part of the memorial, three live performances have been developed. They are each between 20 and 25 minutes long and can be performed separately or as a trilogy titled 鈥淎nd That鈥檚 the Way It Is.鈥� The three shows are:

  • 鈥淐ronkite鈥� is a one-man show that incorporates audio, video and still photographs. It is based on an appearance by Cronkite on CNN鈥檚 鈥淟arry King Live鈥� in September 2002. As he reflected on the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, he also recalled other major events he covered, including World War II, the Vietnam War and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Cronkite is played by Jim Korinke.
  • 鈥淗arry & Walter: Missouri鈥檚 Native Sons鈥� offers a glimpse into the many parallels of the personal and professional lives of two famous Missourians, Harry Truman and Walter Cronkite. The production features Korinke as Cronkite and Ken Remmert as Truman.
  • A third performance will include Cronkite and a significant figure from the Civil Rights movement.

Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, 500 W. US Highway 24, Independence, Missouri

鈥淗arry & Walter: Missouri鈥檚 Native Sons鈥� will be performed as part of the library鈥檚 celebration of Truman鈥檚 birthday on Sunday, May 8. Because it鈥檚 Mother鈥檚 Day, all mothers will get in to the museum free; for others, admission is $1. The day鈥檚 public events will begin with a ceremonial Laying of Wreaths in the library鈥檚 courtyard at 9:30. The museum will open at 10, and 鈥淗arry & Walter鈥� will be performed at 11 a.m. in the museum鈥檚 auditorium, followed by a reception in the main lobby. In addition, an exhibit on the parallel lives of Truman and Cronkite by Fuson is on display at the Presidential Library through May 16. For more information about the day鈥檚 events, visit .

Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Road, Kansas City, Missouri

鈥淎nd That鈥檚 the Way It Is鈥� will be performed on Union Station鈥檚 H&R Block City Stage at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July 11, and Fuson will prepare an exhibit of one-of-a-kind Cronkite artifacts. An informal meet-and-greet with the actors and other dignitaries will follow the performance.

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, 111 Amsterdam Ave., New York

鈥淎nd That鈥檚 the Way It Is鈥� will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23 in the library鈥檚 Bruno Walter Auditorium for invited guests. Those expected to attend include Cronkite鈥檚 children as well as his chief of staff.

Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C.

鈥淐ronkite鈥� will be performed at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25 in the Knight Television Studio performance venue as part of the Newseum鈥檚 celebration of Cronkite鈥檚 centennial. The Newseum is an interactive museum of news dedicated to free expression and the five freedoms of the First Amendment: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. Located on Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the U.S. Capitol, the Newseum鈥檚 15 galleries on seven levels have attracted more than six million visitors since it opened in 2008.

Walter Cronkite Memorial, 含羞草社区

The centennial events will conclude with a special celebration on Friday, Nov. 4, Cronkite鈥檚 birthday. 鈥淎nd That鈥檚 the Way It Is鈥� will be performed in the Kemper Recital Hall adjacent to the Memorial inside Spratt Hall, and a sculpture by Fuson commemorating the Apollo 11 mission that first put man on the moon will be unveiled. Festivities are scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. Additional details will be announced closer to the event date.

To learn more about the Walter Cronkite Memorial and the live shows, visit .

含羞草社区 is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .