BOB GARFIELD: And now for a few of your letters. On our interview with Joe and Shirley Wershba who worked with Edward R. Murrow at CBS, Mary Horowitz of East Amherst, New York had this to say: "Murrow's program was one of the most memorable and important moments of my young life. We were several years into the Communist scare activities and I had no idea whether McCarthy and company would win. My friends and I were very afraid for the freedom of our country. You cannot imagine the jubilation and ecstatic joy we experienced when hearing Murrow's indictment of McCarthy, knowing that finally someone had the courage to come out and express our outrage."

BROOKE GLADSTONE: Ray Osborne of Somerset, New Jersey also liked the interview but wrote in to correct me on a few of my facts. He notes that, quote: "The McCarthy hearings were not the first to be televised. The first major Congressional committee hearing to be televised was the Kefauver Commission Hearings on organized crime in 1951." Also he writes, "Murrow did not die of lung cancer in 1964." Quote, "Mr. Murrow did have a cancerous lung removed in October, 1963. At that point he gave up smoking. He died from a brain tumor in 1964. Whether the lung cancer was a contributing factor to his brain tumor remains an open question."

BOB GARFIELD: In response to our essay on the use of "Bork" as a verb, Brooke said she couldn't find any other verbs derived from personal names that didn't use "I-Z-E" to modify them except, uh, "to Bobbitt." But our listeners could. David Heath of Portland, Oregon was among those who wrote in with "Lynch" and "Boycott." Jeanice Sherman of Massachusetts was one of several who offered "Burke," meaning to suffocate, from William Burke who was executed for smothering victims to sell their bodies for dissection. James Doulong added "Garn" to the list. Quote: "Garn: to vomit, named after Senator Jake Garn whose pre-space flight training involved some considerable nausea. And Dr. Thomas Brink wrote in to say he uses "Heimlich" as a verb.

BROOKE GLADSTONE: Meanwhile, keep those comments and corrections coming to onthemedia@wnyc.org. And don't forget to tell us where you live and how to pronounce your name. [MUSIC UP AND UNDER]

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