Anderson Cooper in NW Arkansas

March 7, 2008 ~ An evening with Anderson Cooper, CNN Reporter.

It was wonderful. Everyone came out and the hall was parked. Good thing my friend, Sharla, and I went to the hall early because the hall was already half full one hour to the time the event was to begin.

Anderson Cooper gave a terrific performance. He has been to a lot of places, you know. And it is amazing that many of his more poignant memories are of his story coverages in parts of Africa like Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia, and other places. Of course he talked of the Tsunami in the U.S. and other disasters he has covered in other areas. He has been to a lot of disaster-stricken places and I was touched to learn about what drives him. In response to a question from a 13-year old girl about how he coped and kept going with all the despair and sadness he saw in his work, he said that it is ironical, but it is the same despair and sadness that is so depressing that urges him on. People want you to tell their story; their stories need to be told. And if he doesn't tell them, then how will we know about these people and what they are going through? There were so many questions, but everyone was impressed by this 13-year old girl who said that she watches the news every day. Anderson C. said she could be a CNN anchor lady any day when she grew up.

From my seat high up in the middle of the room, I was able to get a few pictures of him.