My mentor in the transition from the old Gabriel Heatter and John Cameron Swayze way of doing things was David Brinkley. He brought an entirely different style to what we were doing.

Peter, of the three of us, was our prince. He seemed so timeless. He had such elan and style,

ABC wouldn't be a player in the news major leagues until the 1970s, when Roone Arledge brought to ABC News the energy and programming approach he had applied to ABC Sports.

Peter is an old friend. I'm heartbroken, but he's also a tough guy. I'm counting on him getting through this very difficult passage.

[On May 18, 1990, the 10th anniversary of the eruption, I stood on the ridge named for David Johnston. Next to me was Tom Brokaw of NBC News. Each of us had finished our respective live shots, and we stood in silence as shafts of sunlight beamed down between darkening clouds over the volcano.] You're lucky, ... I have to head out of here tonight, but you get to live near this mountain. There isn't a place on Earth like it.

The greatest rewards of Jerry Ford's time were reserved for his fellow Americans and the nation he loved.