Charles Osgood to visit the McCoy for Jefferson Series

by

It’s rare for people to know what they want to do with their lives at a very young age.

Many have unrealistic dream jobs that revolve around whatever piques their interest in the moment. It can change on a whim, and most don’t find their calling until they have more life experiences to rely on.

Such was not the case with Charles Osgood.

“I knew that I wanted to be in radio from the time I was 8 years old,” Osgood says. “(My sister and I) went to school at the same time and got sick at the same time, and spent a lot of time listening to children’s radio, which got me hooked right away.”

In a career that has spanned seven decades, Osgood’s work in radio and television has brought his iconic bow tie and propensity for rhymed verse to the eyes and ears of millions of Americans. His career will be on full display on Oct. 25, when he visits the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts to speak at the New Albany Community Foundation’s Jefferson Series.

“I think what they’re doing in that series is fabulous. It’s obviously something that is worthwhile,” Osgood says.

Osgood’s career in radio began at Fordham University, where he was a student and volunteered at the campus’ FM radio station.

After graduation, he worked in Washington, D.C. as an announcer at the classical music stations in the city. This was only for a short time, however, as he was drafted into the Army in 1954.

While having dinner with a friend one night, Osgood says he ran into a man in a U.S. Army uniform. Osgood learned that he was the announcer for the U.S. Army Band, and was leaving the position in the coming weeks.

The next day, he visited the commanding officer of the band, who was delighted he had announcing experience and could pronounce the names of all the composers. For the next three years, Osgood’s job was to “MC all the concerts and broadcast the United States Army Band,” he says.

“I spent those three years and learned a lot from really fantastically skilled musicians who were there all the time,” Osgood says. “That may not seem very military in duty, but that’s what my duty was.”

After his stint in the Army, Osgood worked in radio in Washington a short while longer before being transferred to a television gig in Hartford, Conn. From there, he worked for ABC for a while before leaving for CBS Radio in 1967.

Osgood enjoyed a long and fruitful career at CBS. He switched back from radio to TV in 1971 and anchored the CBS Sunday Night News from 1981-87 and the CBS Morning News from 1987-92.

It was 1994 when Osgood took over for Charles Kuralt and began hosting CBS Sunday Morning News. This would turn out to be his most popular stint in television until he retired in 2016, and the job from which Osgood says he got the most joy.

During his career, Osgood also won a Grammy Award for best spoken word performance for his 1966 single “Gallant Men” with John Cacavas and Everett Dirksen. Osgood also narrated the 2008 film Horton Hears a Who.

“I think what they’re doing in that series is fabulous. It’s obviously something that is worthwhile,” Osgood says.

Osgood will discuss both of these accomplishments, along with his entire career, in October at the McCoy Center. While he realizes the talk won’t change any lives, Osgood hopes it will make the audience understand that special opportunities can arise in anyone’s life.

“The talk will be me (discussing) things that I’ve done and people I’ve met and my feelings about what they’re doing,” Osgood says. “I’m interested in meeting the people who put this together.”

Osgood’s status as an icon of American broadcasting is one reason why Craig Mohre, president of the New Albany Community Foundation, says he decided to make Osgood the next Jefferson Series alum. His prowess as a musician, including past performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the New York Pops and the Boston Pops Orchestra, will also be on display, as Osgood will play the piano for the audience.

This season’s series will start with Osgood in October. In February, generals Michael Hayden, Stanley McChrystal and Peter Pace will convene for a panel discussion that, Mohre says, “will provide rare insights into foreign affairs, current threats and military involvements.”

The season will finish in May with Elizabeth Vargas, co-anchor of ABC’s 20/20. Vargas’ talk will detail her struggles with anxiety and alcohol and how she learned to heal and cope with it, making her the third Jefferson Series speaker to explore such a topic.

As for Osgood’s visit, Mohre says attendees of the event will leave entertained, informed and inspired.

“I think they’ll come away impressed with Osgood’s range of talents, his unique life experiences and they’ll gain insights from his observations,” Mohre says.

Zachary Konno is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at adeperro@cityscenemediagroup.com.

RELATED READS