Rest in Peace

Irvine R. Levine, who covered economics for NBC News for 24 years, passed away of prostate cancer yesterday: a member of what is nowadays called the "Greatest Generation," leaving us as mortality requires.

His career had its adventurous episodes. He was an officer in the Army Signal Corps in World War II, and after VJ Day he landed with the early occupation forces in Japan.

He was working as a freelance reporter during the Korean War, and began getting gigs from NBC in that context.

He was on their payroll by 1960, when he covered the uprising in the Belgian Congo.

But he really made his mark starting in 1971. That was the year Nixon brought an end to what remained of gold convertibility and introduced wage-price controls. NBC decided they needed a regular economics correspondent in their news department, so Levine got the job. He was the first correspondent for any of the network news departments with that particular responsibility, and he kept at it until 1995. His bow tie, the rather slow pace of his delivery, and even his insistence upon the "R" (no, I don't know what it stands for) became famous. Legend has it that an editor once suggested that he sign off as "Irvine Levine" to save a second of tape. He allegedly replied, "I could sign off as 'Irvine Levine of NC News' and save two seconds."

The middle initial stayed.

Rest in peace, Irving R. Levine. Go meet the Final Editor at the big Citydesk in the sky and submit your copy.