confidence issues as reporter, 162–64
confrontation and conversation with father, 249–61
decision to withdraw from OWU, 114–17
desire for a broadcast journalism career, 133, 135–39
disaster reporting of, 184
drinks whiskey and smokes a cigarette, in Afghanistan, 207
early family life, 7–10, 12–19
first job after graduation from college, 140–41
first job in TV as reporter and sports anchor, 149–55
football recruit at college, 95
habits of living and work, 158–61
help from Dr. Lewes, 121–27, 130–32
help from other people, in success, 263–64
hired as correspondent by CBS News, 173–81
illiteracy as child, 21–25, 28–32, 43–47, 55–56
illiteracy revealed, 28–32, 37–39
intrinsic understanding of human struggle, 160–62
job as sports information director, 141, 144
job at WAVY-TV, 157–65
job changes, on the way to goal of network broadcasting, 166
journalism career goal, 102–3
life story as inspiration for others, 268, 270
network broadcast reporter as goal, 158, 165–67
newspaper work, 140–41
news reporting love, 151
“not a drinker, can’t dance,” 157–58, 191
parents’ troubled marriage, 7–10, 260
prediction from a classmate that he would be on the networks, 138
prediction from Dr. Lewes that he would write a book, 123
purpose in life, recognizing, 264–65
reading deficiencies, 81–82
reading problem, revealing it, 100–101
reputation for politeness and hard work, 84
self-analysis of character traits that filed to success, 233–46
as a senior correspondent at CBS News, 233
singing in choir, 30–32
social life in high school, 89–90
socioeconomic class issues at OWU, 97–98
speaking discomfort and limited vocabulary, 99–100
speech practice in front of a bathroom mirror, 137
sportscaster job, 151
sports writing at Curley High School, 89
study habits at college, 101
stuttering of, 29–30, 126–29, 162–64
summer job doing highway maintenance, 90–93
tested for academic and mental delays, 32–37
trip to Afghanistan as correspondent, 186–88
unforgiving nature of, 247–49
wife and children of, 206, 237, 262
Pitts, Clarice (mother), 2, 14–15
angry letters from, color of ink, 111
breakup of marriage, 66–67
calls BP’s college teacher, 104
career advice on dealing with racism, 171
and Dr. Lewes, 125
early life and character of, 10–11
encouraging manner of, 42
escorting BP to college, 95–97
faith in BP, 241
giving nature of, 210
interview at Archbishop Curley High School about BP’s admission, 73
and laughter, 244
marital problems of, 7–10, 15–19, 66–67
marriage to and family life with W. A. Pitts, 11–13
proactive moves to forward BP’s career, 141–43
reactions to BP’s illiteracy, 37–38
support of BP in college, through letters, 109–14
treated with disrespect, 142–43
visits with, in later life, 264–65
Pitts, Myron (half brother), 16, 257
Pitts, Saundra (sister), 2, 171
Pitts, William (father), 8–15
appreciation for the things he did right, 260–62
asks BP for money, 256, 258, 261
BP’s conversation with, at age 25, 249–50
BP’s reconnection with in later life, 249–61
breakup of marriage, 66–67
disappearance of, during BP’s high school years, 77
marital strife, 7–10, 15–19
meets Clarice Pitts, 11–13
reactions to BP’s illiteracy, 38
Pitts, William MacLauren (Mac) (brother), 2, 13, 16, 171
homework assistance of, 24–25
plan, lifetime (“what’s your”), 85
Plesser, Ben, 239–40
pocketknife incident, 69–71
police, aggressiveness of, 136
Powell, Colin, 173
prayer
in danger, 206
efficacy of, 240–44
before going on a big assignment, 186
importance of, in Pitts family, 17–19
as key to success, 159
power of, 38–39, 87, 235–36
prior to Iraq assignment, 237–40
prayer circles, 237–38, 240
presidential election of 2000, Florida recount, 184
Quantico Marine Corps, 236
quiet discipline, 49, 52
racism, in the news business, 169–73
Raleigh, North Carolina, 50
The Raleigh News and Observer, 145
Rather, Dan, 183–84
reading, 81–82
Reagan administration, 137
regrets, 251
reporters
attitude toward fear, 185
“gotta go,” 184
Ridge, Michael, 161
riots, urban, of 1968, 135–36
Robinson, Dr. Ed, 127–30, 137
Russians, 204
Safer, Morley, 234
St. Francis Catholic Church, choir, 30–32
St. Katharine’s (Catholic school), 23–24, 36–40
St. Paul Baptist Church (Montclair, N.J.), 3, 251
sandwich-stealer incident, 56–60
Schreffler, Captain George, 219–22
scripts, learning to write, 167
segregation, childhood lesson in dealing with, 53–55
selfishness, trait from BP’s childhood, 209
September 11, 2001, events, 176–81
brave and kind actions on day of, 180–81
Shaw University (Raleigh, North Carolina), 141
Simon, Bob, 234
Sister Clarice, 23–24, 25
60 Minutes
BP full-time at, 241–44
BP’s ambition to be reporter on, 172, 234–35
BP’s casual visits to offices of, 234–35
BP’s first appearance on, 1
most revered news program, 2
profiles, 242–43
skeletons in the closet, 262
slavery, 52, 263
Smith, Phil, 157
Solmsen, Mike, 245–46
Soprano, Tony (TV character), 248
Soviet Union, in Afghanistan, 188
spot news events, 177–78
Stahl, Lesley, 234
stepping out
on faith, 259–60
on nothing, 265
Stewart, Charles, story, 168–69
Stoddard, Nurse Nell, of Bayou
La Batre, Alabama, 230–31
Stogner, Larry, 144–49
Stumbroski, Joseph, 74–76, 83, 154
Stumbroski, Mr. and Mrs., 76, 78, 87
stuttering
on air, 162–64
cure of, 128–29
Sunday Morning, 177
Super Bowl, Miami, BP covering, 143
Tabasco sauce, 236
Taliban, 189, 192, 201, 205
Taloqan, 207
Tegucigalpa, 223
television reporting
BP’s internship doing, 144–49
reason to choose a career in, vs. in print journalism, 136
technique
in, 152–54, 159–60
television watching, BP’s, as child, 43
terrorism, 178
Thanksgiving, in Afghanistan, 202
Thomas, Clarence, 173
Tobias, Pauline, 25
toilet, field, in Afghanistan, 198
toughness, 241
Unitas, Johnny, 14
University of Southern California, 242
violence, not the answer, 250
visualization, of success, 234–35
Walden, Luther (grandfather), 10–11
Walden, Roberta Mae (grandmother), 2, 11, 49–55, 264
Walden family, 51
Wallace, Mike, 234
Waller, Honduras, 224
war correspondents
embedded in military units, 215
war-training program for, given by Marines, 236
Washington, North Carolina, 152–53
“watch your back,” 64–65
WAVY-TV, 157–65
White, Stan, of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, 230
whites
BP’s introduction to world of, in high school, 73
friends of BP, 98
prejudice against blacks, 169
Williams, Jim, of Meaux, Louisiana, 228–29
WNCT-TV (Greenville, North Carolina), 149–55
women, in Afghanistan, 184, 190, 213
Wooden, John, 152, 234
Woodward, Bob, 135
work, dignity in, 92–93
working hard, importance of, 46–47, 84
World Trade Center, plane strike and collapse of, 176–81
World War II, 119–20
writing
learning to write scripts, 167
“out loud,” 159–60
WTVD (Raleigh), 144–49
Young, Andrew, 27
Zero candy bar incident in store, 52–54