They could only stand with anticipation until he entered the room. Through an effort between Wilson High School and WITS (Writers in the Schools), a subsidiary organization branching from the non-profit organization Literary Arts, five Wilson students and two staff members were able to participate in an intimate question-and-answer scenario with the seven-time Emmy award winning news anchor, journalist, and author Tom Brokaw, whose book The Greatest Generation they had read in their history class.

The students and Literary Arts employees milled about the small room, occasionally nibbling on a piece of bread or complimentary fruits, cheeses and bottled water, but stopped mid chomp as the voice of the nation made way through the door.

He walked into the room, followed closely by his young assistant, and greeted every person in the room, taking their hand in a firm handshake with his, and invited them to sit down beside him. The group took their seats, his assistant poured him a glass of water for him, and he began to speak.

“We are in a transformation,” Mr. Brokaw began. He described how the generation of men who lived through the Great Depression, fought in World War II, then returned home to reestablish their country, his idea of the greatest generation, and people who are coming of age now differ, but also seem to relate, focusing on the technology that has become essential to many tasks we attempt to complete, such as journalism.

“I wrote with a typewriter, which was a great progression for journalism, but we were targeting an audience with different demands than those of today’s person.” He explained that because news can now be instantaneous, it essential for writers to consistently write pieces that will clearly convey information, and entice the audience from the start. He had said a lot, but his words were not unwanted. He had introduced himself, but now it was the students’ turn.

Staring across at Mr. Brokaw, eager to begin the session, a young man, freshman Adam McGaughey, confidently asked the first question. “I knew I had to keep confident when asking my question, but at the same time I was very intimidated. It felt almost s if we were wasting his time.” Having read his book, Adam sought after details on Brokaw’s subjects; what had their experiences been? Had it been difficult to ask war veterans to rehash traumatic experiences from World War II?

 “But just as I suspected he could only laugh at a question I could ask, he answered softly, and with immense detail. He was a grandfather with a million stories to tell, and he wanted to tell me them,” Adam continued.

Just like a grandfather, Brokaw listened to each question asked by the students, sharing anecdotes from his life, laughing like a real human being.

After an hour his assistant noted that he would soon need to leave for an appointment, and before he left, Mr. Brokaw reiterated, explaining the difficult time they lived in, but left an assurance that they would be able to conquer, to adapt, and move to something more; a better nation.

He ended by thanking Literary Arts and Wilson High School for desiring to expose children to the arts; he thanked the students for their desire to hear him. He shook hands, he waved, and then he was gone, walking down the street to another destination. His presence could not leave though, and would last an undetermined amount of time for Adam.

“When I sat with the hundreds of other people who were there to see him later that night at the Schnitz, I could only look around and think ‘No one else knows that I shook his hand earlier in the day.’ That’s when I realized that meeting Tom Brokaw was a once in a lifetime experience. It was fantastic.”

Tom Brokaw is a man that can put more feeling into a story than the majority, and creates more faith in a growing people than many others have. He knows that there have been a great generations before him, but he also knows it cannot end with him. Another is just around the corner.