David Halberstam

UNIVERSAL REMOTE

CNN is reporting that David Halberstam has died in a car crash. I haven't read as much of Halberstam's earlier works as I probably should have, but I was lucky enough to see him speak at my sister's college graduation in 2004.

Funnily enough, I had been completely unaware that Halberstam was the keynote speaker at her graduation, and coincidentally had brought along his The Teammates for the train ride up north. When I heard over pre-graduation dinner that Halberstam would be speaking, I decided to bring along the book to see if I might get it signed. After graduation, I had my chance as he walked to his car, and he was gracious enough to shake my hand and sign the book. And so, when I gave the borrowed book back to my friend Moose, he had a message from the author on its cover page.

I can only recommend The Teammates and his Bill Belichick, but this sad event certainly heightens my resolve to read The Summer of '49. Despite his seeming focus on sports writing, older Americans may best know him for his Pulitzer Prize winning reporting during the Vietnam War era, and his book, The Best and the Brightest, which is credited for changing many Americans' opinions about the winnability of the war.

A smart man, a good man, a great writer. He will be missed.