One of my earliest experiences with being duly
impressed by anyone in the media, let alone to the
point of considering them a role model, had to have been
Linda Ellerbee.
The stoic, even-paced, high-minded anchorwoman--
who had been the antithesis of glitzy and vapid fake
news that had already started filling the air waves in the 1980s--
was a stellar figure to me, and made a great impression.
Reading her autobiography in my teens was an equally
meaningful affair.
With evocative, deliberate, engaging words which
create a picture and tell a personal tale, Ellerbee's
written word is as formidable and hypnotic as her
speaking voice. Casual strength. Reserved potency.
Her riveting--and quite revealing--look of the behind the scenes
television market over a lengthy career made for some
shocking insights. Remarkably, Ellerbee stimulates you with
the personal nature of her victories, her tragedies, and her
attacks without becoming a victim or a martyr. It's all
just as matter-of-fact as the protagonist's signature
tagline;
"And so it goes."
Even now, a few decades later, there is much that can be learned from
the pragmatism and style of this gracious humorist and observer!
