Brian Williams: impactful, gutsy, gracious

In advance of his memorial in New York on Friday, a couple of words of remembrance: I never called him The Digger, because he was way out of my league. But Williams was one of the most impactful people in my career. He taught me to think of reasons TO report rather than not, and not to dither - "Get it out mate - get it out!” - which isn't the same thing as being speedy.

He taught me about careers: Williams took on assignments that had steep learnings curves, and were dangerous, sure. But after he became a solid manager and could have ridden that out into the sunset he went back to reporting, from an unfamiliar place whose language he didn't know (and maybe never even learned). That's gutsy.

Williams protected me and urged me on in the simplest of ways. He sent me one of the best herograms ever, when I got a long piece into the NYT on UPI's bankruptcy sale: "You should consider a career in journalism." And he was - not even a close call - the most gracious host imaginable, in a company whose British roots make that a tough competition. At a "formal" dinner during a visit when I was Boston bureau chief he charmed me and my wife without once sounding like a blowhard or even talking about business. In a company with plenty of one-of-a-kinds, Williams stood out, to me. May he rest in peace. ■