JUDY WOODRUFF: We want to close
tonight remembering one of our
own, a man at the heart of the

"NewsHour" family.

Few people have had as much of
an influence on the "NewsHour"
as Les Crystal. Always behind

the camera, Les led the way
to transforming this program.

He came to us after a 20-year
career at NBC, where he served
as executive producer of "The

Nightly News" and then president
of NBC News. He joined Jim
Lehrer and Robin MacNeil in

1983 to expand the half-hour
"MacNeil-Lehrer Report" into
the "MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour,"

the first national
nightly newscast to do so.

LES CRYSTAL, Former
Executive Producer, "PBS
NewsHour": The half-hour
had been very successful,

but I think the appetite
had been there to do more
than just a single subject.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The show won
countless awards, a Peabody and
Emmys, during his tenure. Les

had a deep commitment
to public media.

As executive producer of the
show, he guided generations of
journalists to tell the most

important stories. He was
driven to get to the truth and
tell stories from across the

globe that were often ignored.
To us, he was a great boss,
smart, kind and generous with

his wisdom and time.

Linda Winslow was the show's
deputy executive producer during
Les' tenure. She succeeded

him as executive producer.

LINDA WINSLOW, Former Executive
Producer, "PBS NewsHour":
He had an amazing ability

to relate to other people as
human beings, not as whatever
their job description said

they were.

And the entire "NewsHour" staff
was one big extended family,
as far as Les was concerned.

He shared our joys. He attended
our weddings. He made our
babies smile. And he mourned our

losses. He was, in a word,
a real mensch. And I'm
going to miss him dearly.

JUDY WOODRUFF: A loving husband,
father and grandfather, Les
helped create the "NewsHour"

family. Together with Jim
and Robin, they instilled a
passion for getting to the heart

of the news that remains the
core of the program today.

JEFFREY BROWN: Les was a
role model as a journalist,
as a leader, most of
all as a decent human

being. He took me under his
wing long ago, first as a
mentor, then as a colleague, and

for many years as his friend.

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH,
Former Chief Correspondent,
"The NewsHour With
Jim Lehrer": How would

I describe Les Crystal? Sweet,
calm, supportive, determined.
Les expected the best from us.

And, because of his own
kindness and his skill, we
wanted to give him the best.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And he was
the consummate editor.

PAUL SOLMAN: He was
infuriatingly scrupulous,
poring over scripts
like a medieval scribe.

He could be in the middle
of five conversations
and phone calls. He'd
take yours, and yours

was the only call in the world.

I mean, who loves their boss?
But -- and I'm not exaggerating
-- in the case of Les Crystal,

everybody did.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Les' demeanor
defined his leadership style.

CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT, Special
Correspondent, "PBS NewsHour":
It's hard to separate the

professional Les from the
personal, because he was always
calm. He was always a rock of

stability, whether it was a
stressful time, when we were
in a war zone and he was giving

us instructions, or whether we
were just sitting and chatting.

He was always the same:
strong, rock of stability
and just wonderful.

JUDY WOODRUFF: When Les stepped
down as executive producer, he
took on the role of president

of MacNeil/Lehrer Productions.
In this job, and even after
officially retiring, he devoted

his life to ensuring the
financial backbone to keep
the "NewsHour" strong.

He was a dear friend
to me and everyone he
touched at the "NewsHour."

Les Crystal died after a long
struggle with brain cancer
and then pneumonia. He was 85

years old.

It's hard to say goodbye
to him. We are overwhelmed
with memories today.

And to Toby, Les' wife, to his
three children, Brad, Alan and
Liz, and his grandchildren,

we send all of our love.

The "NewsHour" wouldn't
have become the "NewsHour"
without Les Crystal.