Cancer and Peter Jennings: Controlling the Uncontrollable?

With the eulogies expressed by many of his professional colleagues, there came a new sense of the persona of the American Broadcasting Company’s news anchor Peter Jennings who died in the past week of lung cancer. On the TV screen, Mr. Jennings presented himself with a concerned but yet a calm, intellectual and humanistic appearance. What most of us didn’t know until now was that in the newsroom he was controlling to those who worked with him and always attempted to be in great personal control in his work. What the degree of situational or personal control was expressed at home is not clear to us outside his family.

What would be of interest to me and as an extension of the discussion of the recent postings (July 25 and 31, 2005) here about the response of the “self-made man” Bob Stern to his illness, how Peter Jennings dealt with the discovery that he had inoperable lung cancer and its course. For if Mr. Jennings was able to live the last months of his life in peace despite a cancer which he could not personally control, there would be much to learn about how this was accomplished. What do you think? ..Maurice.