Gene Gleeson, who retired from ABC7 news channel a few years ago, recently visited TAS after spending his whole life in the field of journalism. When he first entered the news broadcasting field in the 1970s, editors were still using film and videotape to “cut and glue” videos together.  
The famous ABC reporter’s career began when he DJ’ed for his father’s radio station as just a high schooler. When Gleeson was drafted into the army, he helped write, produce, and air news for the armed forces radio. After interning at a TV station, Gleeson decided that journalism was something he wanted to pursue. The skills he developed as a radio host translated easily into becoming a TV anchor because he knew how to present himself and not stumble over his words.
Over the years, Gleeson has covered stories from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Death Valley Ultramarathon to child molestation. Once, to cover border immigration, he staked out country borders from midnight to 6 AM with starlight scopes and discovered that cabs were illegally smuggling immigrants across borders.
To Gleeson, developing a good story is like “pulling on a thread.” Reporters must be curious and keep pulling on that thread until it unravels into something meaningful and interesting. “[After that,] all you have to do is back it up and follow through with facts,” he said. “It’s like being in school for the rest of your life; you’re constantly learning.”
What’s next for Mr. Gene Gleeson? After retiring five years ago, he’s been traveling around the world with his wife. But Gleeson will always be a journalist at heart. Sometimes, when he sees particularly striking news on air or in the paper, he remarks to himself: “Ah, I wish I could cover that story.”