[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 102 (Monday, July 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1593]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN HONOR OF LOS ANGELES TELEVISION NEWS LEGEND STAN CHAMBERS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 25, 2005

  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.

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