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6/12/1934 - 9/12/2007 PITTSBURGH (September 16, 2007) Ray Tannehill, known to millions of area residents as a premiere local news anchor died last Wednesday. He was 73. Tannehill, who delivered the news at KDKA and WIIC for 29 years suffered a heart attack at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Born in New Brighton, Tannehill worked on the west coast before returning to Pittsburgh in 1970 to anchor the news on WIIC, now WPXI. In 1976 he moved to KDKA-TV, his home until he retired in 1999. A long-time member of the Pittsburgh AFTRA local, Tannehill was a friend and mentor to many in the business. Ray Tannehill's funeral was held in Santa Fe on Friday. KDKA's Mary Robb Jackson wrote the following appreciation for the AFTRA website: Ray Tannehill slipped out of this world in his sleep on Wednesday. A gracious exit, and fitting for a man who rarely called attention to himself, despite his high profile. Ray was a consummate newsman, equally good as a reporter in the field or behind the anchor desk. Ray was unshakeable. I remember a newscast at Channel 11 where the visuals for the entire show were spliced together on a single reel of film. One evening, the guy who was supposed to deliver the reel to projection had a brain glitch and took the reel home with him. Ray was the solo anchor - and was left without one inch of film to support him, but got through that newscast with great panache. Only the people in-house knew what he had pulled off. He called Patti Burns "the Princess," and he styled himself the "managing goddam editor" at KDKA. As a team, they were two of the funniest people on the face of the earth - most of it unprintable. He'd say to her before going to the studio - "let's go fool them again." Harold Hayes remembers Ray coming to his wedding on a cold cloudy, January day in 1984. Ray teased Harold that the sun came out during the ceremony after Harold managed to utter - "all my worldly goods I bestow." for Harold, Ray's "wit, sense of humor, and professionalism" will be sorely missed. Ray loved "the folk." his New Brighton roots were part of his strength of character. A reporter for the "beaver county times" told me that Ray had anonymously established an open tab at a New Brighton restaurant for a man who was down on his luck. The reporter tried, unsuccessfully, to get Ray to admit it. He never would. We could go on about Ray's achievements in broadcast journalism - but that is not the real measure of the man. Ray Tannehill adored his wife Cathy and their family, and one could not ask for a better friend. He was a good man - who did much good. He made us laugh, and was there when we needed a hug. I - and we - will miss him dearly. Follow this link to Rob Owen's obituary in the Post-Gazette.
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