Usually, The Hound doesn't have good things to say about TV people. You know the ones. The talking heads, the pretty faces, the ones that take themselves really seriously in a medium more tuned to entertainment than information. John Drury wasn't like that.
Drury, who died Sunday at age 80 of ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease, was a class act and epitomized an age when TV folks were concerned about the story, not the hype. He probably was seen by more Chicagoans than any other local broadcaster in a career than spanned four decades. He reported and anchored on WBBM, WGN and finished his career at WLS. He retired from there in 2002.
During his sterling career Drury, pioneered reporting by an anchorman. Previously, most anchormen just stayed behind a desk, never ventured out on a story. They jsut read the news and made happy talk. He covered every story important to Chicago viewers and even his own battle with the debilitating ALS, allowing a close look at a man whose matinee idol looks were decimated by the disease.
Since his retirement, Drury was missed by most of us serious journalists. He is still missed.
John Dury was a legend in Chicago, a class act !