Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the
distinguished career of Los Angeles television news legend Stan
Chambers. Mr. Chambers is a mainstay of Los Angeles broadcast
television who has reported the news for the same station, KTLA/WB, for
58 years. In those nearly six decades, Stan has covered every major
news event in and around Los Angeles including the assassination of
Robert Kennedy, earthquakes, the Los Angeles riots, and the 1984
Olympics. On Saturday, July 30, 2005, the Greater Los Angeles Chapter
of the Society of Professional Journalists will pay tribute to Stan
Chambers for his outstanding work and illustrious career in news
journalism. It is with great pride that I congratulate Stan on
receiving this honor that recognizes his illustrious body of work. And
though his career journey is as impressive as it is unprecedented, perhaps most laudable has been Stan's commitment to family--and I am quite sure that his wife, Gege, his 11 children, his 33 grandchildren and his 4 great grandchildren would wholeheartedly agree.
A lifelong Angeleno, Stan was born in the City of Angels on August
11, 1923. He attended Loyola University and transferred to the
University of Southern California following orders from the Naval
Officers Training Corps, which he had joined during World War II. The
seeds of Stan's journalistic passions were planted in college while
working at the university's radio station.
Stan began his long and prestigious career with KTLA, the first
commercially-licensed television station in the Western United States, in December 1947. At the time, only 300 or so Angelenos had television sets. He remembers fondly a time early in KTLA's existence when the station would consult every television viewer in Los Angeles on the quality of its programming.
In 1949, during a precedent-setting moment in television
broadcasting, Stan helped build KTLA's reputation for on-the-spot news
coverage. The tragedy of Kathy Fiscus, a four-year-old girl who fell
into an abandoned well near her home, would be considered by many the
most memorable story of his career. Stan began coverage of the rescue
operation within minutes of its commencement. A career in television
journalism was born.
Stan has reported a record 20,000 plus stories in his career. Think
back, from every major natural disaster in Los Angeles since 1947, to
tragic, high profile stories like the Manson Family murders and the
case of the Hillside Strangler, Stan Chambers was there. When amateur
photographer George Holiday filmed the beating of Rodney King in March
of 1991, he turned to Stan Chambers to report what would be a seminal
moment in Los Angeles history.
In addition to his coverage of breaking news in Los Angeles, Stan has
been the face for the KTLA/WB signature broadcast of the Tournament of
Roses Parade since 1949. Interviewing parade luminaries, capturing the
reactions of parade enthusiasts, Stan has kept Angelenos entertained as
we have watched procession after procession for over half a century. In
2002, the prestigious Tournament of Roses Association presented Stan
with a special award for over 50 years of dedication to Rose Parade
broadcast excellence on KTLA/WB.
Stan has been honored with several Emmy awards, a Golden Mike award, the "Governor's Award" from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and a coveted star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In January of 1998, the Stan Chambers Building at KTLA was dedicated as a tribute to Stan's 50 years of dedicated service to the station and community. The Mayor of Los Angeles at that time, Richard Riordan, even presented him with a street sign featuring his name that was posted just outside the KTLA studios, at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue.
Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I ask my colleagues to join
me today in recognizing Stan Chambers for his distinguished career in
news broadcasting. His contributions to the world of news reporting and
to the City of Los Angeles have been extraordinary and unforgettable. As Mr. Chambers' family, friends and colleagues gather with the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists to honor his lifetime of achievement, I wish to add my voice and salute a true pillar of Los Angeles.