Andy Rooney, a 1942 Colgate University alum, was honored Tuesday at an alumni “Tribute and Toast” in Manhattan. Those who toasted — and roasted — included fellow ‘Gate grads, as well as other television colleagues. Excerpts:
• CBS’s Lesley Stahl: “I can’t think of anybody I’d rather hang out with than Andy Aaron [sic, actually Aitken] Rooney. Ever stop to think that he’s just one initial away from A-A-R-P?”
• Rooney’s son, ABC’s Brian Rooney (’74): “Obviously, we both went to Colgate. And neither one of us could get into it today!”
• CBS’s Morley Safer: “How do you roast a man who deep-fries himself every Sunday night?”
• CBS’s Jeff Fager (’77): “He’s not happy — as I think most people know — about getting older, and he doesn’t like birthdays. But being Andy’s age does have its advantages. There aren’t that many people that can actually say they knew the thirteen founders of Colgate [in 1819].”
For a video roundup of the event, which also included tributes from ABC’s Bob Woodruff (’83) and CNN’s Gloria Borger (’74), click here.