The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) recently honored TCU alumnus and legendary journalist Bob Schieffer with the 2014 Edward R. Murrow Award for Writing.

Since 1971, the RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards, according to the association’s website.

Schieffer wrote in an e-mail Harvey Nagler, the head of CBS Radio, notified Schieffer he won the award.

“I wasn’t even aware he had entered it, so it was a double surprise when he called me and said, ‘Guess what? You won a Murrow Award from the RTDNA,’” Schieffer wrote.

The RTDNA awarded Schieffer for his CBS News piece “A dream of Congress in the future.”

“The piece was a take off on Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol and the ghosts of Christmas past present and future,” Schieffer wrote.

“In my piece the ghost of congress future takes me on a tour of capitol hill where we see members of congress who decided to work together after we got rid of those who thought the purpose of congress was partisan warfare.”

Schieffer has received many awards throughout his career, but wrote this one was different.

“Anything with Ed Murrow’s name on it is very special to me and even more so because this one is for writing,” Schieffer wrote. “To me, writing is the basis of all journalism.”

With over 40 years of experience, Schieffer has become a household name in the news industry. However, he wrote he has many role models who have helped him become the journalist he is today.

“Walter Cronkite was always the person I wanted to be and the truth is, the person I still want to be,” Schieffer wrote. “The best writers that I learned from along the way were first, Phil Record who hired me at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and later Roger Mudd and Charles Kuralt, the best writers I worked with at CBS News.”

Schieffer added his love for writing draws partially from his love for another art form.

I just like words and making them work to explain what I’m trying to do and to express the thought I’m trying to get across,” Schieffer wrote. “I moonlight as a country music song writer and whether it’s writing a lyric or a sentence, it’s just fun to make those words dance.”