TVSpy LostRemote FishbowlNY FishbowlDC FishbowlLA SocialTimes MediaJobsDaily more GalleyCat AppNewser UnBeige AgencySpy PRNewser 10,000 Words AllFacebook AllTwitter semanticweb.com

Andy Rooney On Turning 91 and ‘The Single Luckiest Thing That Ever Happened To Me’

Andy Rooney — who turns 91 today — is in demand these days. Rooney, a Colgate University alum, will be honored at a February 9 alumni “Tribute and Toast” in New York City. Expected attendees include fellow ‘Gate grads such as 60 Minutes EP Jeff Fager, Rooney’s son, ABC’s Brian Rooney, ABC’s Bob Woodruff, CNN’s Gloria Borger, and MSNBC’s Howard Fineman.

Rooney also has granted a rare interview to USA Today. Excerpts:

• On whether he foresees retiring from 60 Minutes: “I suppose the time may come…I think I’ll know when I can’t do this anymore. I think I’d quit before anyone tells me to.”

• His thoughts on the late Walter Cronkite and Don Hewitt: “They’re missed.”

• He says that getting a reporting job during World War II with the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes was “the single luckiest thing that ever happened to me.”

• On how he’ll celebrate his birthday today — “a 91st birthday isn’t something you celebrate. It’s something you mourn.” — Rooney, a widower, says he’ll probably go out to dinner with the woman in his life: Beryl Pfizer who was a Today show producer in the 1950s.

In this video, Rooney reads portions of his most recent book, Andy Rooney: 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit, out last November.

Mediabistro Event

One Day Sale- Save up to $200 today only

One Day SaleWe’re offering $100 off either AllFacebook Marketing Conference, or AllTwitter Marketing Conference and $200 off a Combo Pass to attend both events. We’ve secured an A-List roster of social media strategists from Toyota, Mashable, the Oakland Raiders, the San Francisco Giants, and more. This offer expires at midnight, so register now with the code ONEDAY and save.