When I was young - and I am talking mid to late 1960s here - my mother was a religious watcher of The Today Show, ergo I was, too.
And besides my almost cult-like adoration of Joe Garagiola, which I still have, there was Barbara.
She was smart, she was articulate, she was beautiful.
And she inspired.
If you look up the definition of Trailblazer in the dictionary, surely you will find Barbara.
When she left The Today Show to be the first female co-anchor on the nightly news it is was groundbreaking. And horrifying. Because if you think we live in a misogynistic society that judges women solely on their ability to be young and beautiful, well try and imagine the 1970s.
Even her co-anchor, especially her co-anchor, Harry Reasoner, was loathsome towards her.
But Barbara persevered. She went on to have a career that anyone would have killed for, and if she has become somewhat of a caricature for some, well that is the price you pay when you attempt to stay on air until well into your eighties.
Today, Barbara Walters retires. I am reminded constantly, living in a place when women are still striving for their rights, that we have come a long way since Barbara went on the air in 1962, but we still have a long way to go.
There is a whole generation of female journalists who owe their successful careers to the doors that Barbara had to kick open for them. She not only had to be good to get her jobs, she had to be the best. And she was.
So today, I will be raising a glass to Barbara. And thanking her for all she has done for women.
Let's have a Barbara Cocktail, shall we?
Barbara
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Have an awesome Friday and Stay Safe out there!
xoxo wendy
