The acclaimed journalist offers a heartwarming memoir of life with his father, describing growing up in the 1950s in working-class Buffalo with his extraordinary father, a proud WWII veteran, as well as the influence of his Catholic upbringing, his passion for sports, and the importance of hard work, responsibility, and patriotism. Reprint. "A profoundly satisfying story of a father and his son." -- Wall Street Journal "A testament to solid values, hard work and filial devotion." -- New York Times "A valentine to his working-class father and the values he was brought up with." -- Time "Russert writes of his roots with an engaging warmth and humor." -- USA Today "Russert s loving portrait of his dad will inspire you to call home." -- Entertainment Weekly "Stupendously entertaining. Readers of Tom Brokaw s book will enjoy it, as will dads of all ages." -- Publishers Weekly "There are many valuable lessons in this evocative memoir of a happy childhood." -- People Tim Russert is the NBC News Washington bureau chief, moderator and managing editor of Meet the Press , political analyst for Today and Nightly News , and host of the Tim Russert Show on CNBC. He lives in Washington, D.C.‚ with his wife, writer Maureen Orth, and their son, Luke. Big Russ and Me FATHER AND SON: LESSONS OF LIFE By Tim Russert HYPERION Copyright © 2008 TIM RUSSERT All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4013-5965-2 Contents INTRODUCTION....................................ix1. My Father's War..............................12. South Buffalo................................213. Respect......................................424. Work.........................................605. Faith........................................756. Food.........................................857. Baseball.....................................988. Fatherhood...................................1199. Sister Kennedy...............................12610. Canisius High School........................15511. Discipline..................................17312. 1968........................................19313. Cars........................................20414. JCU and Law School, Too.....................21915. Daniel Patrick Moynihan.....................23616. Washington..................................25217. Politics....................................27118. Totus Tuus..................................28819. Meet the Press..............................30320. Loss........................................31521. The Bills...................................321EPILOGUE........................................332ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.................................335 Chapter One My Father's War "It was a lot tougher for the guys who died." NOT LONG AGO, I took part in an online conversation hosted by the Washington Post . As I sat at a computer, people around the country sent in questions about Meet the Press and other topics, and I did my best to answer them. Near the end of the hour, somebody asked if there was one individual whom I would especially like to interview. The person who submitted that question was probably expecting me to name an elusive political figure, or perhaps a fascinating character from history, such as Thomas Jefferson, Christopher Columbus, or my first choice, Jesus Christ. But I took the question personally, and answered it immediately and from my heart: more than anyone else, I would like to interview my dad. Big Russ has never been much of a talker, especially about himself. Part of it is his modesty: talking about himself probably feels like bragging, which he dislikes in other people and goes out of his way to avoid. It's not that he's silent, because Dad is a sociable and friendly guy, and in the right setting, and with people he knows well, you can get him going on any number of topics-politics, baseball, the Buffalo Bills, television, the best kind of hot dogs, and how Canadian beer tastes better when you buy it in Canada. But, like so many men of his generation, he won't tell you much about his life, his thoughts, or his feelings. When I was a boy, I knew that Dad had been overseas in World War II, and had served in what was then called the Army Air Force. But whenever I asked him about the war, he avoided my questions and tried to change the subject. When I persisted, he would say, "I'm not a hero like those guys in the planes. I stayed on the ground and just did my job." Every summer, our family used to rent a cottage for a week at Wasaga Beach in Ontario, where Dad, a strong man who loved the water, used to let my sisters and me lie on his back while he swam. One morning, when I was five or six, we were on the beach in our bathing suits when I noticed that Dad had several scars on his back. I had probably seen them before, but this was the first time I really noticed them. When I asked Mom why they were there, she told me that Dad had been injured in a plane crash during the war. So of cou