TIM RUSSERT's friends, family and colleagues gathered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to honor the late newsman. Now, watch the heartfelt eulogies delivered by Russert's son, LUKE, and California first lady MARIA SHRIVER.

Raising a partially filled glass of water, Luke said: "For Tim Russert, his glass was always half-full. … In my 22 years, I've never met anybody filled with so much optimism. … My dad was a force of nature, and now his own cycle in nature is complete. … I love you, Dad."

NBC "Nightly News" anchor BRIAN WILLIAMS quipped that his friend and colleague "didn't inherit that dark corner of the Irish tradition -- condition. … He was an optimist always choosing to dwell on the positive." Williams added that Russert's last words were: "What's happening?" -- a cheerful greeting posed to a coworker as he walked toward a sound recording booth.

TOM BROKAW affectionately called Russert "an unmade bed of a man … a story teller who knew everything that was going on in and out of sight."

And Maria Shriver said: "He always made me feel comfortable. … He so loved being in the middle of the action. He so loved seeing history up close."