On more than one occasion, Barbara told me that I reminded her of her younger self. “Neither of us is particularly glamorous,” she said. (I wasn’t quite sure how to take that.) During my early days at the “Today” show, she was one of my biggest cheerleaders. I once did an impromptu interview with George H.W. Bush, who unexpectedly showed up while Barbara Bush was giving me a live tour of the White House. The next day I received a handwritten note that read, “Dear Katie, You were terrific with Mrs. Bush (you knew far more than she did) and nabbing the president was a real coup. You are so darn good! Bravo! Barbara.” I still have it framed in my office.
She would later get a kick out of my dating life. After meeting John Molner, my now husband, at several social events before we were married, she told him, “Well, it looks like you’re not going anywhere, so I guess I better get to know you.”
Twenty-five years ago, at 68, an age network executives might have thought about putting her out to pasture, Barbara again proved her worth, through sheer grit and ingenuity. With “The View,” she gave five women of varying ages a platform to share their thoughts on everything from politics to pop culture. Meanwhile, her Barbara Walters specials spotlighted marquee names at a time when celebrities were more elusive than they are today.
Barbara created her own good fortune. I think about the last several years she spent in her home on the Upper East Side, full of framed photos and mementos from her extraordinary career. It must have been so hard not to be in the middle of the action.
When I was putting together a book of advice from accomplished people in 2011, Barbara’s contribution was as follows:
“In college, I had a well-known professor whose advice was: ‘Follow your bliss.’ Practical application: Decide what you really would love to do … would do even if you didn’t get paid. (But get paid.) Get a job in that industry or business. Start at any level. Get there first in the morning. Leave last at night. Fetch the coffee. Follow your bliss … but don’t sleep with your boss. You will succeed.”
She could have added, “Don’t take no for an answer.” Barbara never did. And because of her, the generations of working women in journalism and other fields heard “yes” a lot more often. Thank you, Barbara. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Katie Couric is a journalist and author and the founder of Katie Couric Media.
Katie Couric
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