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2023 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 280
Commending Doreen Gentzler.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, January 26, 2023
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 30, 2023

 

WHEREAS, Doreen Gentzler, one of the most well-known and highly rated news anchors in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area, retired in November 2022, completing a distinguished career in journalism of more than 40 years; and

WHEREAS, Doreen Gentzler spent part of her childhood in Arlington, then moved to South Carolina with her family at a young age; and

WHEREAS, Doreen Gentzler graduated from the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia and began her career in journalism covering the Georgia State Legislature for Georgia Public Broadcasting; and

WHEREAS, Doreen Gentzler anchored television news programs in Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania before returning to the Washington, D.C. area as co-anchor of the weekday 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. editions of News4 on WRC-TV, also known as NBC4 Washington; and

WHEREAS, Doreen Gentzler served alongside local broadcasting legend Jim Vance, whom she had watched on the same station in her youth; the two anchors proved to be a perfect pairing, and they dominated local ratings during their 28 years together, often drawing more local primetime viewers than national networks CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC combined; and

WHEREAS, Doreen Gentzler’s “News 4 Your Health” segments won numerous awards for their engaging coverage of medical breakthroughs and advances in health care; her reporting took her around the world to Ecuador, Bosnia, and the Persian Gulf, where she reported from a United States Navy hospital ship caring for American troops; and

WHEREAS, in 2014, Doreen Gentzler became the lead reporter for a station-wide project on mental health called “Changing Minds” that received local and national recognition for its in-depth reporting on issues related to mental illness; in addition, she led many community outreach programs for the station, including the NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo; and

WHEREAS, Doreen Gentzler and Jim Vance were one of the longest-tenured anchor teams in the country at the time of his passing in 2017; and

WHEREAS, Doreen Gentzler remained a trusted figure in local news and helped maintain high ratings for NBC4 Washington’s evening and nightly news broadcasts with her new co-anchor, Jim Handly; and

WHEREAS, over the course of her distinguished career, Doreen Gentzler earned several Emmy awards for her writing, reporting, and anchoring; and

WHEREAS, after her well-earned retirement, Doreen Gentzler plans to travel and spend more time with her beloved family; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Doreen Gentzler on the occasion of her retirement as a news anchor with NBC4 Washington; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Doreen Gentzler as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for her contributions to journalism and her legacy of achievements.