<P> He was also known for his extensive coverage of the U.S. space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landings to the Space Shuttle . He was the only non-NASA recipient of an Ambassador of Exploration award . </P> <P> Cronkite is well known for his departing catchphrase "And that's the way it is," followed by the broadcast's date . </P> <P> Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the son of Helen Lena (née Fritsche; August 1892--November 1993) and Dr. Walter Leland Cronkite (September 1893--May 1973), a dentist . </P> <P> Cronkite lived in Kansas City, Missouri, until he was ten, when his family moved to Houston, Texas . He attended elementary school at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, junior high school at Lanier Junior High School (now Lanier Middle School) and high school at San Jacinto High School, where he edited the high school newspaper . He was a member of the Boy Scouts . He attended college at the University of Texas at Austin (UT), entering in the Fall term of 1933, where he worked on the Daily Texan and became a member of the Nu chapter of the Chi Phi Fraternity . He also was a member of the Houston chapter of DeMolay, a Masonic fraternal organization for boys . While attending UT, Cronkite had his first taste of performance, appearing in a play with fellow student Eli Wallach . He dropped out in 1935, not returning for the Fall term, in order to concentrate on journalism . </P>

How many years passed between victor leaving for college and returning home