One of my all time favorites Tracy Barry has announced she is retiring from the KGW News desk. I am sad but happy at the same time. Retirement seems to wear well on these former News Anchors. Just ask Former KGW News Anchor Kathy Smith or KOIN TV Anchor Mike Donohue. We wish Tracy all the best!
See her personal announcement below. Try not to tear up.
I like to pretend that I am a free spirit at heart. That I could travel light, move anywhere on a whim and start over. But it’s not true.
I like going away, but I like coming home more. I grew up in the Northwest and have never left for long.
I stay places. I stay married. I do my best to keep friends and promises. I am steady. I am a blue collar kid who was lucky enough to go to college and get a break in a career I’ve always considered a calling.
That’s why this is so hard for me dear hearts.
33 years after walking in the newsroom at KGW and putting down deep roots, I am saying goodbye. It is time for me to move on and trust in the magic of new beginnings. October 12th is my last day at KGW.
I didn’t want to leave without saying thank you. It has been an honor and a privilege to bring you the news all these years, to share this beloved place with you. We have been through a lot together.
Thank you for lifting me up through the difficult days, and celebrating the true joys in my life. Thank you for the handmade baby blankets you sent me when we adopted our precious daughters, and for the words of comfort when my parents passed. It has meant the world to me.
And make no mistake, I owe this incredible run doing the work I love, in a city I love, to your support. When people ask me who I work for…. As a journalist I always say I work for you.
I do not have the gift of predicting the future… but I never sell tomorrow short. I know it’s a gift, not a promise and I plan to make the most of it. I ask only that you look out for each other with the same kindness, compassion and goodness you have always shown me. I will hold you in my heart, until we meet again.