Stan Atkinson

Stan Atkinson
Atkinson (left) undercover in Afghanistan with the Mujahadin
News Anchor for KCRA
In office 1959–1963
News Anchor for KCRA
In office 1976–1994
News Anchor for KOVR
In office 1994–1999
Personal details
Born	(1932-11-11)November 11, 1932
Died	May 25, 2025(2025-05-25) (aged 92)
Alma mater	Pasadena City College
Awards	Three Emmys for each of his two assignments inside Afghanistan, and another for a documentary he produced while covering Somalia in 1981

Stan Atkinson (November 11, 1932 – May 25, 2025) was an American television news reporter and anchor.

Career

Stan Atkinson studied journalism at Pasadena City College before serving in the U.S. Army as a Fort Ord Division faculty member, teaching 20,000 trainees. He was a documentary producer, writer, and director for David Wolper Productions, a reporter and anchorman in the San Francisco Bay Area, and NBC Los Angeles, where he covered the Tate-LaBianca murders and the trial of Charles Manson.

For over twenty years, he became the most popular news figure in the nation's 19th-largest television market. The Sacramento Bee called him "The Man Who Owns Sacramento." He was an award-winning reporter who regularly traveled to the world's most turbulent places to bring a deeper insight to the local evening news. In 31 assignments, he covered 18 countries in crisis. His work was often featured on national television.

He selected all of his assignments himself, many of them dangerous, such as being chased by a Soviet helicopter gunship in Afghanistan, held up and robbed by guerrillas in El Salvador, and shot at in Cambodia. Stan also covered the presence of U.S. forces in Bosnia, reported on Hong Kong's reunification with China, went to Baghdad and Kuwait before and after Operation Desert Storm, covered the withdrawal of American forces from Somalia, and on his third assignment to South Africa, Stan covered the remarkable transition of South Africa as their citizens voted in the country's first all-race, democratic election.

Atkinson also has a long history with Vietnam. He was there in 1961 and 1962 when it was still "The Dirty Little War" in the south, and in 1987, he took former Green Beret Captain (the late B.T. Collins) back to Vietnam.

Stan Atkinson retired in July 1999 after 46 years in television and radio. He was the principal news anchor and reporter for KCRA 3 Sacramento for 23 years. Then, he spent 5 years at KOVR 13 anchoring and reporting on the weekday newscasts.

Recognitions

Due to his journalism and community work, Atkinson was honored by the State Legislature, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, the Sacramento City Council, and the Congressional Record. Stan also received many awards, including the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce's "Sacramentan of the Year," a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sacramento Regional Foundation, the World Affairs Council Award for International Reporting, and the Albert and Mary Lasker Award for Medical Journalism.

He was one of 25 reporters selected for the prestigious Ford Foundation Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University in 1967. He won three Emmys for his two assignments inside Afghanistan and another for a documentary he produced while covering Somalia in 1981. Atkinson also received Distinguished Service Medals from both the Afghan and Angolan Freedom Fighters.

In 2016, the Northern California chapter of the National TV Academy presented him with the Governor's Award. The award is given to an individual for outstanding achievement in television that is either cumulative or so extraordinary and universal as to be beyond the realm of the regular achievement awards presented by the Academy. He was among the first selectees to be named to the TV Academy's Silver Circle as a television pioneer.

Atkinson was the 1989 George Washington Medal for Individual Achievement winner from the Freedom Foundation in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He also received the World Affairs Council Award for International Reporting and the 1961 Albert and Mary Lasker Award for Medical Journalism.

Charity Work

Stan Atkinson's community service work in Sacramento began in 1960, when he joined the boards of the Mental Health Association and the Family Service Agency. He also served on the boards or advisory councils of 11 other charitable organizations.

During retirement, he remained active in community affairs, helping raise money for charities and as a TV/radio spokesperson for several companies.

Atkinson, through his Stan Atkinson Foundation, partnered with the River Cat's baseball team, the East Sacramento Rotary, and Michael Ubaldi plus many volunteers to raise $2 million to build River Cat's Independence Field, a multi-use sports and recreation facility for disabled youth, adults, and wounded warrior groups. 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 of community relations and as a member of the Classic's Board of Directors.

In 2004, he was named to the SAY Golf Hall of Fame, along with Kevin Sutherland, Al Geiberger, Tommy LoPresti, and Beth Hightower, for the money he 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. This multi-million dollar fund supports three dozen charitable and essential community projects related to the Sisters of Mercy's work. He was on the Foundation's board for 27 years.

In his lifetime, he helped raise more than $8 million for area agencies and charities.

Personal life

He resided in Sacramento and contributed to the community until his death on May 25, 2025, at the age of 92. He was the father of four sons: Brad, Lance Atkinson (who preceded him in death), Mike, and Alex, and a daughter, Sarah, plus the stepfather of Griffen and Alyson McCann and David and Adam Laverine. He was the proud grandfather of 14 and great-grandfather of 18. In honor of his son Lance Atkinson, who died suddenly at 34 of undetermined causes in April 1994, the Lance Atkinson Scholarship was established at the Business School of California State University, Sacramento. Stan's friends staged a retirement party that raised $100,000, which established the scholarship. Eight students have received full-ride assistance from the fund.

Further reading

• Baker, Steve (2008). "Chatting with Stan Atkinson". californiaconversations.com. Retrieved August 4, 2019.

External links

• Stan Atkinson at IMDb