Ron and I never worked together, but I did have opportunities to meet him. The first and most influential was during my first year of college. As a journalism major I was covering a speech he was delivering on campus. Afterwards I asked his advice on how best to get into television news. His reply was simple and useful. It was to be persistent. He said that if you just stick with it, others will eventually go other directions and you will be in position to succeed.

By the time I was working for Houston television, Ron had left the anchor chair and was running his production company. On a couple of occasions I got to visit him there and it was a great treat to hear him tell stories of his time on the air. When Dan Rather left CBS, Ron shared his experiences of the days he worked with him. I felt privileged to hear about it from the source.

I chickened out and didn't tell him my joke about killing two birds with Ron Stone because I was afraid it wouldn't be clear it came from a place of respect, a respect that began thirty years ago.

Like the rest of Houston I will miss that comforting voice calling me his neighbor.

FMc