User:Mak Vitte/Tad Dunbar

Tad Dunbar

Tad's career in broadcasting, which has spanned more than 50 years, began when he was 15 years old, and went to work for the radio station in his home town of Palestine, Texas.

Shortly after graduating high school, he moved to Abilene, Texas, working his way through college at a radio station there. His duties, in addition to spinning records, included reading and producing radio newscasts, as well as writing radio commercials.

Caught up in the dramatic events surrounding the Kennedy assassination in 1963, Tad was moved to change to full-time news, and soon moved from radio to television. For the next several years, he worked as a reporter, anchor and news director for stations in Abilene, Midland, Laredo and Corpus Christi, before moving to Reno in 1969.

In the decades since then, research has consistently showed Tad to be Northern Nevada's most popular and respected figure in television news. He has received numerous awards from both news organizations and professional associations. He is a charter member of the Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame and a recipient of that organization's Lifetime Achievement Award. His contributions to television news and to the state were recently recognized by resolutions passed in both the Nevada and U.S. Senates.

He and his wife Minda have been married for more than 20 years and live in southwest Reno. Between them, they have three sons and four grandchildren.