Former colleagues pay tribute to Richard Hottelet at Club memorial service

Great men and women still exist in journalism, but many of the “greatest generation” of the profession are dying out. An reminder of this was the memorial service held at the National Press Club March 21 for the late, great CBS newsman Richard C. Hottelet.

Hottelet was the last of the "Murrow Boys," elite journalists chosen and trained by the legendary Edward R. Murrow. Hottelet died in December at the age of 97.

About 75 people came to the Club on a Saturday morning to reminisce and pay tribute to Hottelet. The event was sponsored by the Club, George Washington University, CBS News and the University of Maryland University College.

Speeches were delivered by family members and celebrated reporters. Among the latter were Marvin Kalb, Bob Schieffer, Michael Freedman and Sam Litzinger, all former CBS colleagues of Hottelet. They recounted Hottelet's four months in a Gestapo prison and other harrowing experiences during World War II and described his long years of covering the United Nations..

They also noted that Hottelet was a man who warned of the problems of a 24 hour news cycle, cautioned "buyer beware" and said of his life, "I tried."

Watch the memorial service below: