Stan Atkinson
Encyclopedia
Stan Atkinson was a television news reporter and anchor for over 45 years, mostly in the Sacramento
area, including many years as principal news anchor for KCRA, Channel 3, in Sacramento. and then principal news anchor for KOVR
from 1994 until his retirement in 1999. He is considered one of the most popular news figures in Sacramento, the nation's 19th-largest television market, for more than 20 years. The Sacramento Bee
called him "The Man Who Owns Sacramento."
He has remained tirelessly active in community affairs since retirement, helping raise money for charities and as TV/radio spokesperson for a number of companies. He is also a partner in a very busy video production company ATY Media Productions.
Atkinson studied journalism at Pasadena City College
prior to U.S. Army service during the Korean War
in the early 1950s. He was an instructor on Fort Ord
’s faculty teaching 20,000 trainees and rapidly rising to the rank of Sergeant
. He was one of 25 (out of 200) reporters selected for the prestigious Ford Foundation Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University
in 1967.
He has been chased down by a Soviet helicopter gunship in Afghanistan (he was there twice, in 1982 and 1985), plus held up and robbed by leftist guerrillas in El Salvador
, and shot at in Cambodia
.
In January 1996, Atkinson covered the presence of U.S. Forces in Bosnia
. In May 1997 he made his ninth trip to Hong Kong
since 1961 to report on the historic reunification with Communist China
.
He has slipped across Marxist-controlled borders with resistance fighters to produce documentaries in Afghanistan
, Angola
, Cambodia, and Central America
.
Atkinson reported from Baghdad
just before Operation Desert Storm began, and from Kuwait
a month after it was liberated. In October 1993, just after the downing of two U.S. Blackhawk helicopters, and the resultant withdrawal of American forces, he covered the collapse of a nation into anarchy in his reports from Somalia
.
In April 1994, Atkinson covered the remarkable transition of South Africa
, as their citizens voted in the country's first all-race, democratic election. That was his third assignment in South Africa since 1984.
Atkinson also has a long history with Vietnam
. He was there twice - in 1961 and 1962 - when it was still "The Dirty Little War" in the south. His documentary, "The Village That Refused to Die," told the story of fighting priest Father Nguyen Lac Hoa
and his village of Binh Hung, who were fighting back against the Viet Cong.
In 1987, he took former Green Beret Captain - B.T. Collins - back to Vietnam. They were the first Americans to drive through the country since the war. They traveled from Hanoi to the Delta, to the very spot where Collins lost an arm and a leg in an ambush 20 years before. Atkinson later joined Collins as a principal fundraiser who helped raise money to erect the $2.2 million California Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the State Capitol grounds.
He has won three Emmys for each of his two assignments inside Afghanistan, and another for a documentary he produced while covering Somalia in 1981.
Atkinson is the 1989 winner of the George Washington Medal for Individual Achievement from the Freedom Foundation in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He is also a recipient of the World Affairs Council Award for International Reporting, and the Albert and Mary Lasker Award for Medical Journalism.
baseball team and the East Sacramento Rotary
to raise funds to build River Cat's Independence Field, a multi-use sports and recreation facility for disabled youth and adults. The project centers on a specially-applied surface, which provides traction but is soft, thus preventing injuries during softball, basketball, soccer, or tag football games.
He was co-founder and host of the Stan Atkinson Golf Classic for its five-year run. The event, in partnership with the Stan Atkinson Foundation, raised more than $300,000 for five area community causes.
Atkinson also served the Gold Rush Classic, an annual stop on the Senior PGA Tour
, as tournament director-community relations and as a member of the Classic’s Board of Directors.
He has been named to the SAY Golf 2004 Hall of Fame, in the company of Kevin Sutherland, Al Geiberger, Tommy LoPresti, and Beth Hightower - not for his golfing prowess (of which there is none), but for the money he has helped raise over the years through and for youth golf, and the community at large.
In 2001, Atkinson was the Chair of the Mercy Foundation, a multi-million dollar fund that supports three dozen charitable and essential community projects of the works of the Sisters of Mercy. He has been on the Foundation’s board for 24 years.
Atkinson has helped raise more than $8 million for area agencies and charities. He is the recipient of the United Way's Humanitarian of the Year award, the National Philanthropy Association's Volunteer Fund-Raiser of the Year award, and has been honored as the Boy Scouts of America's Distinguished Citizen of the Year.
Atkinson received a Distinguished Service Medal in 1986 from the FNLA (National Front for the Liberation of Angola), an Angolan anti-communist guerrilla group with whom he had traveled in the bush in 1985. He also received a similar commendation from the Afghan freedom fighters.
Atkinson had been honored by the State Legislature; the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors; Sacramento City Council, and the Congressional Record.
He has been a documentary producer, writer and director for David Wolper Productions, a reporter and anchorman for NBC, Los Angeles, and in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a result, he is a familiar face and name statewide.
Atkinson serves on the boards of Mercy Foundation, the First Tee of Greater Sacramento, the Advisory Board of California State University, Sacramento, and the WEAVE endowment board. He is also an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Sacramento, an Eddie Mulligan Fellow of Rotary
, and an honorary member of the 20-30 Club of Sacramento. He’s also a member of the Broadcast Legends, and the Valley Broadcast Legends.
He is the father of four sons: Brad, Mike, Alex, Lance Atkinson, and a daughter Sarah. Lance died suddenly of undetermined causes in April 1994. The Lance Atkinson Scholarship was established at California State University, Sacramento shortly after his death. It is modeled after the National Merit Scholarship and is on track to become the University’s first National Merit Scholarship program.
In October 1996 Atkinson married the former Kristen McCann. He is the grandfather of 14 children.
Atkinson retired in 1999, after 46 years in television and radio. A dozen years ago he was among the first group of selectees named to the National Television Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle as a television pioneer.
On May 17, 2007, Atkinson was inducted into the Greater Sacramento Area Business Hall of Fame, an event benefiting Junior Achievement of Sacramento. Atkinson was chosen for this honor by an independent selection committee made up of regional business leaders. Atkinson was included in the permanent Business Hall of Fame exhibit at the School of Business Administration at CSU Sacramento.
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
area, including many years as principal news anchor for KCRA, Channel 3, in Sacramento. and then principal news anchor for KOVR
KOVR
KOVR, channel 13, is an owned-and-operated station of the CBS Television Network located in Sacramento, California and licensed to Stockton. KOVR-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KMAX-TV in West Sacramento, California, and its transmitter is located in Walnut Grove,...
from 1994 until his retirement in 1999. He is considered one of the most popular news figures in Sacramento, the nation's 19th-largest television market, for more than 20 years. The Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its creation in 1857, the Bee has become Sacramento's largest newspaper, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 25th largest paper in the U.S...
called him "The Man Who Owns Sacramento."
He has remained tirelessly active in community affairs since retirement, helping raise money for charities and as TV/radio spokesperson for a number of companies. He is also a partner in a very busy video production company ATY Media Productions.
Career highlights
Atkinson is a reporter who regularly traveled to the world's most turbulent places to bring a deeper insight to the local evening news. He covered 18 countries-in-crisis in 31 assignments. As well, his work was often featured on national television.Atkinson studied journalism at Pasadena City College
Pasadena City College
Pasadena City College is a community college in Pasadena, California, USA, located on Colorado Boulevard. PCC is the third largest community college campus in the United States. PCC was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. In 1954, Pasadena Junior College merged with another junior...
prior to U.S. Army service during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in the early 1950s. He was an instructor on Fort Ord
Fort Ord
Fort Ord was a U.S. Army post on Monterey Bay in California. It was established in 1917 as a maneuver area and field artillery target range and was closed in September 1994. Fort Ord was one of the most attractive locations of any U.S. Army post, because of its proximity to the beach and California...
’s faculty teaching 20,000 trainees and rapidly rising to the rank of Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
. He was one of 25 (out of 200) reporters selected for the prestigious Ford Foundation Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1967.
He has been chased down by a Soviet helicopter gunship in Afghanistan (he was there twice, in 1982 and 1985), plus held up and robbed by leftist guerrillas in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, and shot at in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
.
In January 1996, Atkinson covered the presence of U.S. Forces in Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. In May 1997 he made his ninth trip to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
since 1961 to report on the historic reunification with Communist China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
He has slipped across Marxist-controlled borders with resistance fighters to produce documentaries in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, Cambodia, and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
.
Atkinson reported from Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
just before Operation Desert Storm began, and from Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
a month after it was liberated. In October 1993, just after the downing of two U.S. Blackhawk helicopters, and the resultant withdrawal of American forces, he covered the collapse of a nation into anarchy in his reports from Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
.
In April 1994, Atkinson covered the remarkable transition of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, as their citizens voted in the country's first all-race, democratic election. That was his third assignment in South Africa since 1984.
Atkinson also has a long history with Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. He was there twice - in 1961 and 1962 - when it was still "The Dirty Little War" in the south. His documentary, "The Village That Refused to Die," told the story of fighting priest Father Nguyen Lac Hoa
Nguyen Lac Hoa
Father Augustine Nguyen Lac Hoa , a refugee Chinese Catholic priest in South Vietnam, led a militia called the Sea Swallows that carved out an anticommunist enclave in the Viet Cong's Ca Mau Peninsula stronghold...
and his village of Binh Hung, who were fighting back against the Viet Cong.
In 1987, he took former Green Beret Captain - B.T. Collins - back to Vietnam. They were the first Americans to drive through the country since the war. They traveled from Hanoi to the Delta, to the very spot where Collins lost an arm and a leg in an ambush 20 years before. Atkinson later joined Collins as a principal fundraiser who helped raise money to erect the $2.2 million California Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the State Capitol grounds.
He has won three Emmys for each of his two assignments inside Afghanistan, and another for a documentary he produced while covering Somalia in 1981.
Community volunteer service
Atkinson, through his Stan Atkinson Foundation, has partnered with the Sacramento River CatsSacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats is a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. The team plays in the Pacific Coast League and is the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics....
baseball team and the East Sacramento Rotary
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
to raise funds to build River Cat's Independence Field, a multi-use sports and recreation facility for disabled youth and adults. The project centers on a specially-applied surface, which provides traction but is soft, thus preventing injuries during softball, basketball, soccer, or tag football games.
He was co-founder and host of the Stan Atkinson Golf Classic for its five-year run. The event, in partnership with the Stan Atkinson Foundation, raised more than $300,000 for five area community causes.
Atkinson also served the Gold Rush Classic, an annual stop on the Senior PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
, as tournament director-community relations and as a member of the Classic’s Board of Directors.
He has been named to the SAY Golf 2004 Hall of Fame, in the company of Kevin Sutherland, Al Geiberger, Tommy LoPresti, and Beth Hightower - not for his golfing prowess (of which there is none), but for the money he has helped raise over the years through and for youth golf, and the community at large.
In 2001, Atkinson was the Chair of the Mercy Foundation, a multi-million dollar fund that supports three dozen charitable and essential community projects of the works of the Sisters of Mercy. He has been on the Foundation’s board for 24 years.
Atkinson has helped raise more than $8 million for area agencies and charities. He is the recipient of the United Way's Humanitarian of the Year award, the National Philanthropy Association's Volunteer Fund-Raiser of the Year award, and has been honored as the Boy Scouts of America's Distinguished Citizen of the Year.
Recognitions and achievements
In 1999, he was the recipient of the Sacramento Regional Foundation’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. And in 1998 the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce named Atkinson "Sacramentan of the Year."Atkinson received a Distinguished Service Medal in 1986 from the FNLA (National Front for the Liberation of Angola), an Angolan anti-communist guerrilla group with whom he had traveled in the bush in 1985. He also received a similar commendation from the Afghan freedom fighters.
Atkinson had been honored by the State Legislature; the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors; Sacramento City Council, and the Congressional Record.
He has been a documentary producer, writer and director for David Wolper Productions, a reporter and anchorman for NBC, Los Angeles, and in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a result, he is a familiar face and name statewide.
Atkinson serves on the boards of Mercy Foundation, the First Tee of Greater Sacramento, the Advisory Board of California State University, Sacramento, and the WEAVE endowment board. He is also an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Sacramento, an Eddie Mulligan Fellow of Rotary
Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs...
, and an honorary member of the 20-30 Club of Sacramento. He’s also a member of the Broadcast Legends, and the Valley Broadcast Legends.
He is the father of four sons: Brad, Mike, Alex, Lance Atkinson, and a daughter Sarah. Lance died suddenly of undetermined causes in April 1994. The Lance Atkinson Scholarship was established at California State University, Sacramento shortly after his death. It is modeled after the National Merit Scholarship and is on track to become the University’s first National Merit Scholarship program.
In October 1996 Atkinson married the former Kristen McCann. He is the grandfather of 14 children.
Atkinson retired in 1999, after 46 years in television and radio. A dozen years ago he was among the first group of selectees named to the National Television Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle as a television pioneer.
On May 17, 2007, Atkinson was inducted into the Greater Sacramento Area Business Hall of Fame, an event benefiting Junior Achievement of Sacramento. Atkinson was chosen for this honor by an independent selection committee made up of regional business leaders. Atkinson was included in the permanent Business Hall of Fame exhibit at the School of Business Administration at CSU Sacramento.