Stan Chambers Announces Retirement

Stan Chambers KTLA Reporter

Today is Stan Chambers 87th birthday and it is also the day that Stan Chambers announced his retirement from KTLA, a company he as worked with for sixty-three years. I was just a kid when we got our first television set and I remember Stan, this cub reporter, that would cover the news and breaking stories in the Los Angeles area.

One of the more memorable was the 1949 tragic coverage of the rescue attempts of little Kathy Fiscus, a young child that fell into an abandoned well in a San Marino field.

Stan Chambers covering the Kathy Fiscus tragedy in April 1949

The coverage of this event was the first time television stayed on the air after its normal 10 pm sign off. This story was covered non-stop for 27 1/2 hours as workers attempted in vain to rescue the child trapped in the well. I lived only a few miles from where the tragedy occurred making it a double impact on my young life.

Stan went on to cover many other major stories in the Southern California area and earned several Emmy and Golden Mike Awards. And most years you would find him broadcasting the annual Tournament of Roses parade. Some might say it was surprising that a national network never wooed him away from KTLA - but I think sometimes people just begin where they are supposed to be.

Happy Birthday, Stan and a very Happy Retirement, too!