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 in Oakland, California. He was known for being a friendly and trusted face on the news.

Dennis Richmond's Story

Growing Up and Early Life

Dennis Richmond grew up in a town called Rossford, Ohio. He finished high school there in 1961. After high school, he joined the United States Army. He served from 1961 to 1964 with the 82nd Airborne Division.

Later, he went to Wayne State University in Detroit from 1965 to 1967. He also attended Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1969. He got a special scholarship for this while he was already working at KTVU.

His Amazing Career at KTVU

Dennis Richmond started at KTVU on April 23, 1968. His first job was a clerk typist, which means he typed documents. He worked hard and became a news anchor in 1976. This was a big deal because he was one of the first African-Americans to be the main anchor for a major TV news show.

He worked with different co-anchors over the years. He was with Barbara Simpson from 1978 to 1986. Then, Elaine Corral was his co-anchor from 1986 to 1998. After that, he worked with Leslie Griffith until 2006. His last co-anchor was Julie Haener. During his career, he and his wife lived in San Ramon, California.

Retirement and Legacy

Dennis Richmond retired from KTVU on May 26, 2008. This was also his 65th birthday! He had worked at KTVU for 40 years, with 31 of those years as a main anchor. By the time he retired, he was known as the "dean" of TV news anchors in the Bay Area. This means he was the most respected and longest-serving anchor there.

His very last news show was watched by 400,000 people. This made him even more popular than Oprah Winfrey at that time! After he retired, Frank Somerville took over his role as the anchor for the 10 O'Clock News.

Life Outside of Work

Dennis Richmond was originally from the area around Toledo, Ohio. After serving in the Army, he decided to drive to California without a clear plan. He found his job at KTVU as a typist and stayed there for his whole career.

He cared a lot about his community. He was on the board of directors for the Child Abuse Consortium. This is a government group in California that helps prevent child abuse. He also led a fundraising event for the YMCA in Alameda County. Plus, he helped the Oakland Mayor's committee to save high school sports.

Dennis Richmond passed away on February 5, 2025, in Grass Valley, California. He was 81 years old. His former co-anchor, Julie Haener, shared that he had a heart attack and a fall a few weeks before.

Awards and Honors

Dennis Richmond received many important awards for his work and community service.

• He won the Humanitarian Award of Oakland. This is the highest honor a person can receive in that city.
• He also received the Black Media Coalition Journalist of the Year Award.
• His old high school, Rossford High School, gave him an Award of Distinction. This award is for distinguished graduates.