SCHORR / MUCHA

SCHORR. Yesterday legendary radio and television journalist Daniel Schoor died, at age 93. His broadcast journalism career spanned more than six decades. He was originally recruited to CBS radio news by the pioneer news journalist Edward R. Murrow. Murrow cultivated two generations of associates at CBS, most of whom went on to establish their own stellar careers.

The first generation of "Murrow's Boys" assembed during World War II, and included William L. Shirer, Eric Severeid, Tom Grandin, Larry LeSueur, Charles Collingwood, Howard K. Smith, Winston Burdett, Bill Downs, Mary Marvin Breckinridge, Cecil Brown, and Richard C. Hottelet. The second generation assembled after the war, and included Walter Cronkite, David Schoenbrun, Alexander Kendrick, Robert Pierpoint, George Polk, Marvin Kalb, and ... Daniel Schorr. Nearly all these names were familiar to me as a child in the 1950s, since our family entertainment orbited around radio. Many of the old radio "boys" successfully made the transition to television news -- Severeid, Collingwood, Smith, Burdett, Hottelet, Cronkite, Pierpoint, Kalb and Schorr notable among them.

Daniel Schorr possessed scrupulous integrity, and was fearless in the pursuit of the truth. He famously made President Richard Nixon's enemies list, and was surprised to find his own name on the list when he read it aloud during a broadcast. He won three Emmy Awards for excellence in television journalism. This elder statesman of news and analysis will be sorely missed.

MUCHA. In an ideal world, if I were living in the home of my dreams (and my own design), of all the art genres that exist I would probably choose two to predominate -- indigenous art and crafts from around the world (native masks, carvings, basketry, artwork), and Art Nouveau (artwork, furniture, stained glass, architectural design). Both appeal to me because each, in its own way, incorporates either natural materials or the organic, curvilinear flow of natural design.

On this day in 1860 one of the pre-eminent Art Nouveau painters was born -- the Czech master Alphonse Mucha. His work influenced an entire generation of artists, and is recognized and sought after to this day. Here is a link to a visual sampling of Mucha's work. Click on any of the images to enlarge it.