AUSTIN, Texas — Iconic journalist, well-known storyteller and native Texan Dan Rather was inducted into the SXSW Hall of Fame this week.
Rather, who joined CBS News in 1962, has covered important news stories for the last 70 years. He is known for his coverage of Hurricane Carla in 1961, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the Gulf War in the early 1990s and his interviews with every president since Eisenhower.
After he left CBS News, Rather created the Emmy Award-winning news and documentary program called "Dan Rather Reports." He is a member of the Television Hall of Fame, has written several books and currently writes a newsletter called "Steady."
Rather has made several appearances at SXSW, serving as a keynote speaker in 2008, moderating a section on trust in the U.S. government in 2018 and interviewing a Parkland shooting survivor in 2019. Post-pandemic, he has also been part of several SXSW EDU sessions that focus on the Rather Prize, which donates $10,000 annually to the student, teacher, community organization or administrator with the best new idea in Texas education.
"This Hall of Fame award means so much to me. It's true that I have some awards from my professional work, but this means more to me in some important ways," Rather said at his Hall of Fame induction on Tuesday. "You might say, 'Well, how could that be?' Well, I can answer in very few words. One word is Austin. And the other is what SXSW has become."
During his induction, Rather also spoke about when he was a young man and his parents would drive from Houston to Austin. He said when he saw the "sparkling lights of Austin" he thought of them as "a beacon, a beacon of creativity, of knowledge and of infinite possibilities."
Austin became Rather's home after he lived in New York City for 40 years. He has raised his daughter, along with one of his grandsons.
On Tuesday, Rather brought up a photoshoot that he participated in to help promote SXSW, where he was in Barton Springs with one of his grandsons.
"That feeling of being free, of being home, of being close to nature, of being part of SXSW – that is what I think of as I accept this award," Rather said.
Rather also encouraged people to pursue their dreams, saying, "Not that all your dreams will come true, but the constant striving for the ultimate of your dreams."
Rather said at 91 years old, he is still chasing his dream.
"So I urge you to keep dreaming, keep exploring, keep connecting. Keep dreaming ... and staying true to yourself, staying true to your North Star," Rather said.
Rather ended his speech by saying that following your dreams can take courage – a word he used when he signed off from CBS News.
"Courage, tonight, to all of you creating dreamers and, at the same time and in the same breath, courage to soldiers in the fields of Ukraine. Courage to our first responders and health care people. Courage to our teachers and blue-collar workers trying to make it with this inflation. Courage to our immigrants and courage to our kids. And courage to our country and all decent people in all parts of the world who stand up for what is right in the face," Rather said. "South By, you keep on keep on being that beacon. You're in Austin for the whole world to see, and keep on representing all of those infinite possibilities."
Watch Rather's full acceptance speech below: