John Drury (television anchor)
| John Drury | |
|---|---|
|
Eyewitness News team, 1972. Back, from left: anchor John Drury, anchor Joel Daly. Front, from left: weatherman John Coleman, anchor Fahey Flynn, sportscaster Bill Frink. | |
| Born |
January 4, 1927 Peoria, Illinois, United States |
| Died |
November 25, 2007 (aged 80) Wheaton, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation | Television news anchorman |
| Spouse(s) |
Marjorie Foulk (1932-1987) Ann Guecerio |
| Children |
Logan James Richard Susan |
John R. Drury (January 4, 1927 – November 25, 2007) was a television news anchorman from Chicago, IL. He appeared on both WGN-TV and WLS-TV. Upon his retirement came the news that he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He was a leading activist for ALS research and was a spokesperson for the Brain Research Foundation.
Career
In 1955, Drury's broadcasting career began at WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee. He anchored and reported on the 10 p.m. news until leaving in 1962.[1]
He then joined WBBM-TV. He both anchored and reported news for them until 1967. During this time, he served as Fahey Flynn's first co-anchor.
Following his stint at WBBM-TV, Drury joined WGN-TV, where he served as the 10 p.m. news anchor until 1970.[1] He then switched over to WLS-TV for his first stint on the ABC-owned station. He anchored their news until 1979 before going back to WGN-TV to be their anchorman again.
Drury stayed at WGN until 1984 during which he won numerous awards such as the Chicago Father of the Year and also a Chicago Emmy awards for Individual Excellence in 1983.[1]
In August 1984, he rejoined WLS and took over the anchorman job for their 10 p.m. newscasts. He won two more Chicago Emmy awards for Individual Excellence in 1987 and 1988.[1] Drury retired in 2002 after 40 years in the business.[2] He won one more Chicago Emmy in 2003 for his news report, "9/11/02 The New Homeland."
Awards
- Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame Induction - 1996
- Chicago Emmy Award for Individual Excellence - 1983, 1987, 1988 and 2003 [1]
- Illinois Journalist of the Year - 2002
- Chicago Press Veteran of the Year - 2002
- Chicago Father of the Year - 1983
- Better Government Association's Distinguished Journalism Award - 1989
- Silver Circle Award - 1996 [2]
- John Drury Day - February 27, 2002 - Chicago: Mayor Richard M. Daley
Conversely, the John Drury High School Radio Awards are named after him.
Personal and death
Drury was married to his wife Marjorie and had 4 children, Logan, James, Richard, and Susan.
Upon Marjorie's death in 1987, Drury remarried to wife Ann Guecerio.[2] Drury lived mostly in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, but later moved to Wheaton, Illinois when he remarried. He died at 7:34 pm, on November 25, 2007 in his home in Wheaton, surrounded by his family.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "John Drury's ABC7 Bio". ABC7Chicago.com. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Brain Waves Vol. 7 No. 2" (PDF). brainresearchfdn.org. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
- ↑ Longtime Chicago Anchorman, John Drury Dies