Author David McCullough has passed away

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McCullough has also narrated numerous documentaries, such as The Civil War by Ken Burns, as well as the 2003 film Seabiscuit

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Despite the national and international acclaim, Mr. McCullough said his greatest honor was accorded in his hometown in 2013, when the 16th Street Bridge was renamed for him, the only Pittsburgher to be so honored in his lifetime.

“No pat on the back has ever touched me to the heart, to the depths of what I am, the way this announcement of a bridge named in my honor has,” he said at the ceremony July 7, 2013, his 80th birthday.

“Not only this is my 80th birthday, but I think today, here in Pittsburgh, I’ve peaked. If I were to ever imagine anything being named for me in the way of a tangible structure, [it would be] a bridge. There’s something magical about a bridge. It’s an expression of aspiration and accomplishment of a very high order.”

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It was the bridge book that led to his association with the documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. The two met in 1977 when Mr. Burns chose the Brooklyn Bridge for his first documentary. Eventually, he asked Mr. McCullough to be interviewed for the film, but in the process, the historian helped Mr. Burns polish the script.

“He gave me the greatest writing lessons I’ve ever had,” Mr. Burns recalled. “I decided to use him as the narrator for my next film, but everybody said, ‘No, get an actor to do it.’

“But David knew the stories and he knew how to tell them, so he was my choice.” Mr. McCullough narrated six of Mr. Burns’ next films, ending with the award-winning “Civil War” in 1990. “That was 30 years ago and everybody still remembers McCullough’s voice.”

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as well as the 2003 film Seabiscuit

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Love his writing.

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