WEB UPDATE, March 22, 7:35 p.m.
Distinguished journalist Bill Beutel '53 died in his home on Saturday in Pinehurst, N.C., following his long struggle with Alzheimer's disease.
Beutel, who was 75 years old when he died, was a broadcast journalist for ABC News in New York City for over three decades. He was the first anchor of the show that would become "Good Morning America" and his trademark signoff, "Good luck and be well," seems to pick up where the now Oscar-winning weekly farewell of his boyhood idol, Edward R. Murrow left off. Murrow ended broadcasts by saying "Good night and good luck."
When Beutel was attending law school at the University of Michigan, he sent a letter to Murrow saying that he wanted to become a radio journalist. Murrow wrote back, suggesting that Beutel attend the Columbia University School of Journalism.
Beutel, as it happened, had enough talent, charisma or both that he didn't need to follow the advice of his role model; he landed a job with CBS radio in New York City in 1957, then moved to television as a reporter for ABC News in 1962. In 1970, Beutel paired with the late Roger Grimsby to co-anchor the network's Eyewitness News for the next 16 years.
Sometimes cited as a gentleman in an industry full of egos, Beutel "proved you could be a tough newsman and a gentleman at the same time," WABC President and General Manager Dave Davis said in a statement.
Beutel is survived by his wife Adair and four children.
