Passing Away of Tim Russert

Tim Russert, the moderator of "Meet the Press" died on Friday at the age of 58. Like Millions of Americans, my Sunday was not complete unless I watched "Meet the Press". The program set the bar on what TV journalism should be. Tim was fair, balanced but tough. For presidential candidates this was the ultimate right of passage. Unless you came on this show, you were not a candidate.

In the last 15 years since I moved to US, a number of famous personalities have passed away including three presidents (Nixon, Reagan and Ford), many sports figures, business persons, people in the arts and culture. In these cases, I did not feel the tinge of sadness that I feel with the passing of Tim. I don't know the reason for this but may be it is because I was not able to relate to others in a way I was able to relate to Tim. I feel as if I knew him personally though I never met him. I cried today watching Tom Brokaw conduct a special "Meet the Press" program to honor Tim. It is a measure of greatness of a person when people who never met you cry at your passing.

Tim grew up in Buffalo NY in a very modest surroundings. His father was a sanitary worker. When growing up, he imagined, maybe going to college and may be becoming a lawyer. He never thought that one day he will reach the pinnacle of political journalism and literally would become a gatekeeper for people aspiring for the highest office in the country. If you did not do well on his show, there was no chance you will go on to become the President. He took this job very seriously. For one hour show on Sunday, he prepared for full one week. It showed in the quality of the program. I guess it is a lesson for all of us that to reach the highest standards, you should do what you love and put your heart into it.

Tim was passionate about politics but he was passionate about life in general. He wrote couple of best sellers. His book "Big Russ and me" is about his dad. He was big time into sports. He was passionate about everything from Buffalo, NY. He was Catholic and evoked God often. He was passionate about the country. It all reflected in his show.

Today is Father's day. All across the country, fathers and sons are celebrating. I feel sad for Tim's father Big Russ and Tim's son. I wish them happy fathers day. I will take a moment today to celebrate Tim's life and life in general.