Edwin Newman, distinguished UW-Madison alumnus, witty NBC anchor and former Daily Cardinal reporter, died of pneumonia at the age of 91 in Oxford, England.
Newman died Aug. 13 but his death was not made public until Wednesday.
Newman was born in Brooklyn on Jan. 25, 1919 and graduated from UW-Madison in 1940 with a degree in political science.
He served in the Navy in World War II and started his career in radio during that time.
Newman received a Distinguished Service Award from UW-Madison in 1967 for his work in post-war journalism.
Newman worked at NBC for more than 30 years as an anchor, critic and correspondent.
UW-Madison journalism professor James Baughman said Newman was a crucial player in NBC's ability to challenge CBS and emerge as a popular news channel in the 1950s.
""Newman was one the reasons [NBC] were able to do that, because he was very good, very solid, very witty,"" said Baughman. ""He didn't take himself too seriously. He had a sense of irony about him.""
Newman covered such historical events as the shootings of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy.
He was best known as an anchor on the ""Today"" show in the 1960s.
""My colleagues and I, we grew up watching him,"" said Baughman. ""He was funny in a very droll way.""
With his bushy eyebrows and balding head, Newman did not look like today's typical news anchor.
""He wasn't a particularly handsome man. He had kind of a rumpled look about him … but that was fine,"" Baughman said. ""They didn't all have to look like mannequins.""
Newman moderated two presidential debates—Ford vs. Carter in 1976 and Reagan vs. Mondale in 1984.
He also won seven New York Emmy Awards in the 1960s and 1970s and hosted Saturday Night Live in 1984.
Newman is survived by his wife, Rigel Grell, and daughter Nancy.
