 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||
 | |||||
| | ||||
| |||||
 | |||||
| | ||||
| |||||
60 Minutes icon tells Dr. Bird's story today Posted: Sunday, Oct 07, 2007 - 01:39:46 pm PDT By DAVID KEYES Bee publisher
When the familiar 60 Minutes stopwatch fills the TV screens in millions of homes tonight it will just be another day at the office for correspondent Morley Safer. Safer, 76, has been cranking out stories for this venerable TV show for more than 37 years. He has more Emmys (12) than most people have had cars.He and a small platoon of photographers, sound engineers, directors and producers visited Dr. Forrest Bird's home in May to produce a story relaying Bird's tremendous contributions to medicine and aviation. "This was an easy story for us to choose," Safer said in an interview in May following a day of interviews with Dr. Bird and his wife, Pam.
"I received a letter from a viewer, saying in just a few lines that this man might be worth considering. I passed it along to (producer) David Browning in California, he jumped on a plane to Spokane, drove to Sandpoint, met Dr. Bird, was hooked and proceeded to hook the rest of us." Safer was immediately taken with Dr. Bird. They both share a great love for aviation. "Without his inventions, we have no story, so the report we made (for Sunday), while not a scientific treatise, goes into some detail on the importance of Forrest Bird as a scientist. At the same time, the story reveals, I think, that remarkable quality that all great scientists-inventors-tinkerers have. They don't see problems. They see solutions." Bird is known for perfecting a reliable respirator as well as inventing the "Baby Bird" respirator for children. He is a member of the Inventors Hall of Fame and has received numerous accolades in aviation and medicine. His company, Percussionaire, has been located at Glengary Bay since the 1960s. While Safer loved "the wilderness" in and around Sandpoint, he has no intention of moving here. "Sandpoint ranks high on my list of magical places in the natural world," he said. "But at this point in my life the child conquers the man and I am a child of the big city with all of its noisy, polluted magnificence. But a month or so in the wilderness is not without question." Safer, who stayed with the Birds during the two days of shooting, was impressed with the couples' hospitality and Forrest Birds' energy. "He is simply amazing on so many levels," Safer said. For a correspondent who cast the first bleak report on the Vietnam War in 1965, he just shakes his head a the Iraq War and this country's involvement in Iraq. "This president will be in the scrap-heap of history for his lack of respect and insulting the intelligence of US citizens," he said. He also predicted that then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would be ushered out of office. That happened a few months after Safer's prediction. Safer also said he is embarrassed by what is on television. As he had his hand on a remote-control device at Bird's house and was flipping through channels, he just shook his head at what was on FOX, MSNBC and finally settled down to watch CNN. The clock is still ticking on Safer's career and he has no plans to slow down or to retire. "There are a lot of stories still to tell," he said. Nasty Ted wrote on Oct 10, 2007 12:23 AM: " So many nasty words. Ya'all need t' git sum fresh air yrselfs! " Facts wrote on Oct 9, 2007 7:25 AM: " The fact of the matter concerning Nasty Ted is he does not live in Reality.
Come out of the bunker and get some sun and fresh air. " Dianne wrote on Oct 8, 2007 7:31 PM: " I agree with you "Bonner County". Sandpoint was never mentioned. It was a lovely story and I really enjoyed it. Dr. Bird is a wonderful man. " Bonner County Taxpayer wrote on Oct 8, 2007 2:51 PM: " Nasty Ted, I saw the 60 Minutes piece. It never mentions Sandpoint. So rest easy. The only national media attention Sandpoint has received remains related to our locally-grown right-wing terrorists and hate groups. Dr. Bird's was a wonderful and uplifting report. If that pisses you off, maybe a bit of self-examination is in order. " Milton Moore wrote on Oct 8, 2007 2:05 PM: " What a joy to watch the story of a true rennaisance man, Dr. Forest.
A fellow pilot,
Charlottesville, VA " Nasty Ted wrote on Oct 8, 2007 12:40 PM: " Eeeeegadddds....more national publicity for Sandpoint...the realtors must have had a hand in this one too!!! " Angela wrote on Oct 7, 2007 5:56 PM: " This story was very nice. It is always nice to see older people pursuing and maintaining their dreams. The more interesting fact is that he has experienced so much of our American history that young people only have the notion of reading about. It is extremely delightful to hear history from first hand experience. Thank you for the story. It made me want to meet him. Keep pumping Mr. Bird. You serve as a great inspiration to most. " POST YOUR OPINION
* All comment posts will encounter a possible delay of up to 24 hours.
|
Bonner County Daily Bee
P.O. Box 159 / Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 / 208-263-9534
Bonner County Daily Bee Online is updated at 10am PST.
MadMax wrote on Feb 6, 2008 8:34 PM:
Dr Bird is taking timeout his busy schedule to visit with my students and share his wisdom and humor.
Thanks Forrest for eveything! "