Rob Armstrong

Flagler Journalism Instructor

Retired CBS News Reporter

Rob Armstrong dodged bullets at Wounded Knee. He drove straight into a hurricane. He impersonated a bellhop. He was detained by police three times, and he counts his life being threatened at least a dozen times. That’s what comes from a 32-year career in broadcast reporting.

And while it’s fair to say that after retiring from CBS News in 1998 and taking on the task of teaching journalism to Flagler’s students Armstrong’s life has been a bit quieter, it’s been no less fulfilling, said the newsman.

Throughout his career, Armstrong’s reporting took him around the world and occasionally placed him in dangerous situations, including maneuvering a confrontation with hostile KGB agents in the Ukraine and being caught in the crossfire—literally—between Native Americans and federal agents at South Dakota’s Wounded Knee.

Teaching involves much less danger than reporting, but that’s not the only reason Armstrong enjoys his new career. He said his father used to tell him how much he enjoyed coaching, but Armstrong could never understand why mentoring was so great.

“Now I understand what my father was talking about,” he said. “I get e-mails or cards or phone calls from former students. They go out into the real world, and they’re still calling to ask questions or tell me about their family lives. I cannot tell you what a thrill that is.”