As a teenager, growing up on the upper west side of NYC, it wasn't unsual to pass right by news studios (ABC) ect in Manhattan..I've proablably run into Peter Jennings before, inadvertandly, while being a tourist in my hometown, or running errands, or waiting in line for concert tics at a store, or after school,or walking down the street in Manhattan, I'm sure of it.
It was really not uncommon, growing up in NYC to run into celebraties, dignitaries, reporters, politiians, but to have the common sense to leave them alone and respect thier privacy.Me, being a former Journalism major in college, (other than me NOT wanting to work in TV or be an anchor woman) we (me and Peter Jennings) have something in common as in our love for Journalism.
It is very sad indeed that Peter Jennings died of lung cancer today just a few months after stepping down as ABC's anchor man to undergo treatment.. Although many anchorman/woman work the field as Journalists first, sure these anchors are reading a teleprompter and have to be GQ good looking and sometimes having to write thier own copy. However, let's face it, we all grew up watching Peter Jennings, and it didn't mind hearing the best and worst of news from HIM. Calm, cool and collected, reassuring through some of the most tragic times in American history as Mr. Jennings personality did not get in the way of an interview or reporting the news.
I'm not going to get into this, all this is coming on the heels of various family members battling illnesses, and me being a smoker, I should be aware of lung dieases including emphasema..
Anyway, thanks for the news Mr. Jennings, RIP and good night. .
More on Peter Jennings from AOL NEWS: 
NEW YORK (Aug. 8) - Peter Jennings, a high school dropout who rose to become prime-time anchorman for ABC News and whose career spanned five decades, has died of lung cancer at 67.
· Watch Video Coverage
The Canadian-born Jennings, host of ABC's ''World News Tonight'' since 1983, died Sunday at his home in Manhattan. The newsman announced in April he had lung cancer and was beginning chemotherapy.
''Peter died with his family around him, without pain and in peace. He knew he'd lived a good life,'' his family said in a statement.
Jennings was the last of a generation of long-serving lead anchors for major U.S. broadcasters.
''He was a superb writer,'' colleague Barbara Walters said in a special broadcast on ABC. She also recalled that ''no one could ad-lib like Peter.''
Jennings had a 41-year career with ABC after joining the network in 1964. He soon went head-to-head with the toughest competition in the business, anchoring the prime-time news from 1965 to 1967 at a time when Walter Cronkite on CBS and the team of David Brinkley and Chet Huntley on NBC were dominant.
Jennings established the first American television news bureau in the Arab world in 1968, serving as ABC News' bureau chief for Beirut for seven years. He had a major role in covering the 1972 Olympics in Munich when Israeli athletes were taken hostage and killed in a botched rescue bid.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Jennings anchored ABC broadcasts for more than 60 hours. The coverage garnered awards and critical acclaim. TV Guide called him ''the center of gravity.''
''For four decades, Peter has been our colleague, our friend, and our leader in so many ways. None of us will be the same without him,'' ABC News President David Westin wrote in announcing Jennings' death to colleagues.
The Toronto-born newsman, who smoked when he was younger, stunned colleagues when he informed them of his illness in an e-mail on April 5. He said he would begin a program of chemotherapy the following week.
''There will be good days and bad, which means that some days I may be cranky and some days really cranky,'' he wrote.
Jennings Remembered Fondly "He was a student for the rest of his life even though he had dropped out (of school) so early, not even, because he had dropped out so early. I think if there was one message he would like to leave with young people today it is, 'Don't do what I did.'''-- Ted Koppel, Anchorman of ABC's Nightline
"He always had the courage to ask the tough questions and demand answers. He set a high standard for TV journalists and his influence will be felt for generations to come.''
-- Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico
Source: AP
ABC noted in its special broadcast that Jennings regularly called into the program during his illness, offering suggestions, comments and criticisms.
He had hoped to return to his anchor duties, but never did.
Ted Koppel, anchor of ABC's ''Nightline'' program, recalled the anchor's dashing good looks, and noted a resemblance to the actor Roger Moore in some of the James Bond movies.
''He and I joked the last time I went up to visit just a few days ago that between the two of us we'd put in 83 years at ABC News.'' Koppel said. ''He was a warm and loving and surprisingly sentimental man.''
Jennings was named anchor and senior editor of ''WorldNews Tonight'' in 1983. He won numerous awards and honors in his more than 20 years in the position.
''It's impossible to believe that he is not going to be with us,'' Walters said.
Reaction to the Life & Work of Peter Jennings Moderate Voice:
"This high school drop-out worked hard and became a seasoned reporter."
Ramblings' Journal:
"Among the 'big three,' Jennings was the most learned, and most scholarly."
Protein Wisdom:
"I disagreed with his politics, I admired his dedication to the profession"
Powerpundit:
"He didn't think it necessary to make himself the center of an interview."
Read the Full Blog Moderate Voice:
"On a personal note, I recall full well Jennings' early debut as an ABC anchor — his first attempt where, years later, he would say that perhaps it had not been his time.
Just one year after joining ABC News, the young, suave newsman was the anchor of 'Peter Jennings with the News' — which lasted for one year. I remember that Jennings was NOT really bad and there was a comfort zone watching him read the news. Yet, he clearly lacked the depth of his competitors on ABC and CBS (Walter 'Old Ironpants' Cronkite was still going strong at CBS and NBC had Chet Huntley and David Brinkley).
So what did Jennings do? This high school drop-out worked hard and became a seasoned REPORTER — someone who not only could READ the news, but knew how to put stories together."
Read the Full Blog Ramblings' Journal:
"Many people remember two major highlights of recent years, his marathon anchor job on ABC's mammoth ABC2000 megacast on December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2000; also his steadfastness and rock-solid demeanor amid the chaos and terror of the 9/11 disaster.
Many criticize Jennings' liberal politics, but no one can argue that among the 'big three'anchors, Jennings was the most learned, and most scholarly. He was a good guy, and at least I, for one, am sorry to see him depart this life at his age.
Godspeed, PJ, and thanks for the memories."
Read the Full Blog Protein Wisdom:
"Though I disagreed with his politics, I long admired Jennings for his dedication to the profession — a dedication that his marathon 911 coverage likely etched into the minds of many Americans.
Rest in peace."
Read the Full Blog Powerpundit:
// <![CDATA[ function showNewsModuleQuote(theURL) { // hide the other quotes el = document.getElementById('news-quote-module'); theDivs = el.getElementsByTagName('div'); for (var i = 0; i < theDivs.length; i++) { if ( theDivs[i].className == 'fullquote' || theDivs[i].className == 'collapse' ) { theDivs[i].style.display = 'none'; } } // show the selected one strt = theURL.length-1; quoteNum = theURL.substring(strt); quoteID = 'quote' + quoteNum; document.getElementById(quoteID).style.display = 'block'; collapseID = 'collapse' + quoteNum; document.getElementById(collapseID).style.display = 'block'; } function hideNewsModuleQuote(theURL) { strt = theURL.length-1; quoteNum = theURL.substring(strt); quoteID = 'quote' + quoteNum; document.getElementById(quoteID).style.display = 'none'; collapseID = 'collapse' + quoteNum; document.getElementById(collapseID).style.display = 'none'; } // ]]>"Of all three major network evening news anchors, I always preferred to watch Peter Jennings. Perhaps it was because of his solid international experience, as well as his unflappable quality as a nightly deliverer of news and interviewer of people. He never had the threatening, overbearing quality that some others displayed while interviewing people, and you always had the feeling that he didn't think it was necessary to make himself the center of an interview. Despite whatever political differences I might have had with Jennings, real or perceived, I always trusted and respected him. He will indeed be greatly missed.
Peter Jennings, R.I.P
In a tribute to Jennings Monday, President Bush said he was saddened by the anchorman's death. ''A lot of Americans relied upon Peter Jennings for their news. He became a part of the life of a lot of our fellow citizens.''
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Jennings ''my close, personal friend'' and ''a man of conscience and integrity.'' She added: ''Peter Jennings represented all that was best in journalism and public service. His reporting was a guide to all of us who aspire to better the world around us.''
Jennings, the son of a noted Canadian broadcaster, Charles Jennings, became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2003 and held dual citizenship.
The passing of Jennings was the final chapter as an era of broadcast anchors with a commanding on-air presence came to an end.
''No matter how dangerous or scary the things were, he was there to bring us the full coverage,'' one ABC viewer said.
NBC's Tom Brokaw stepped down in December after 21 years as anchor of ''NBC Nightly News'' and Dan Rather ended his 24-year career as CBS lead anchor earlier this year, after a discredited report on President Bush's military service.
Jennings is survived by his wife Kayce Freed, and his two children Elizabeth, 25 and Christopher, 23.
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