CNN's Shaw Says Goodbye

By Caitlin O'toole

09/17/1997 at 12:00 AM EDT

Just two days after ending his 21-year stay at CNN, newsman Bernard Shaw returned on Friday for an emotional farewell. Shaw, 60, a charter presence at CNN who became a household name after his coverage of the Gulf war in 1991, had expected to spend his final "Inside Politics" Wednesday reliving his long career (CNN, like PEOPLE, is owned by AOL Time Warner). Plans for the tribute were pushed aside when the Seattle earthquake demanded continuous coverage. On Friday he returned for the well-deserved send-off, which was broadcast live. Shaw choked up as co-anchor Judy Woodruff hailed him for the "tremendous contribution" he made and looked teary-eyed and touched when the big boss man, Ted Turner, stopped by to wish him well. "I've teetered on the shoulders of giants, trying to measure up," Shaw said, adding he hoped to be back on CNN "from time to time." Shaw announced last November that he wanted to spend more time with his family and to write books. His first project will be an autobiography. Asked by his colleagues if the demands of his career were worth the time away from his family, Shaw said, candidly, "no."