NEW : Morley Safer says Rooney spoke up `` for citizens fed up with everything '' In his final essay , Rooney says , `` I wish I could do this forever , but I ca n't '' Andy Rooney has been with CBS since 1949 and with `` 60 Minutes '' since 1978 . He is the author of several books on American history including " The Great War : A History Of World Conflict From Ancient Times To Modern Day " ( Simon & Schuster, ) which was a New York Times best
NEW : Morley Safer says Rooney spoke up `` for citizens fed up with everything '' In his final essay , Rooney says , `` I wish I could do this forever , but I ca n't '' Andy Rooney has been with CBS since 1949 and with `` 60 Minutes '' since 1978 . He delivered 1,097 original essays during his time on the TV news prorgram .