Dennis Richmond facts for kids

Dennis Richmond (born May 26, 1943 – died February 5, 2025) was a famous American news anchor. He worked for 40 years at KTVU, a TV station based in Oakland, California.

About Dennis Richmond

Early Life and Education

Dennis Richmond was born in Toledo, Ohio. He grew up in Rossford, a small town near Toledo. He finished Rossford High School in 1961.

After high school, he joined the United States Army. He served from 1961 to 1964 in the 82nd Airborne Division. Later, he went to Wayne State University in Detroit from 1965 to 1967. He also studied at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1969. He received a scholarship for Columbia while working at KTVU.

His Career as a News Anchor

Dennis Richmond started at KTVU on April 23, 1968. He began as a clerk typist. In 1976, he became a news anchor. He was one of the first African-Americans to be a main anchor for a big city TV news show.

He worked with different co-anchors over the years. From 1978 to 1986, he co-anchored with Barbara Simpson. Then, Elaine Corral was his co-anchor from 1986 to 1998. After that, Leslie Griffith worked with him until 2006. His last co-anchor was Julie Haener.

Dennis Richmond retired on May 26, 2008. This was his 65th birthday. He had worked at KTVU for 40 years. For 31 of those years, he was a main anchor. By the time he retired, he was known as the "dean" of TV news anchors in the Bay Area. He was the longest-serving anchor in that area's history. His final news show was watched by 400,000 people. This made him very popular.

After Dennis Richmond retired, Frank Somerville took over as the main anchor for the 10 O'Clock News. Frank Somerville had been an anchor for KTVU's morning and afternoon shows.

Personal Life and Community Work

Dennis Richmond was from the Toledo, Ohio area. He served in the U.S. Army for three years. He decided to drive to California because he had relatives there. He found a job as a typist at KTVU and stayed there for his whole career.

Dennis Richmond was very involved in his community. He was on the board of directors for the Child Abuse Consortium. This is a government agency in California. He also led a fundraising drive for the YMCA in Alameda County. He was part of the Oakland Mayor's Blue Ribbon Committee. This committee worked to help save high school sports.

Dennis Richmond lived in Grass Valley, California with his wife, Deborah. He passed away on February 5, 2025, at age 81. His wife shared that he had a heart attack and a fall a few weeks before. He had one daughter from a previous relationship and two grandchildren.

Awards and Recognition

Dennis Richmond received several important awards. He won the Humanitarian Award of Oakland. This is the highest honor given in that city. He also received the Black Media Coalition Journalist of the Year Award.

His old high school, Rossford High School, also honored him. They gave him an Award of Distinction as a distinguished graduate.