WXYZ anchor Dave LewAllen signed off from the Detroit ABC affiliate after 35 years at the station.
During his final broadcast on Thursday’s 6 p.m. newscast, which the Detroit Free Press called a “lovefest”, the station said goodbye to LewAllen with tributes both live and taped.
“There are so many people around Broadcast House right now with tissue, because we’re all so sad that you’re leaving us,” said said co-anchor, Carolyn Clifford. “And we’re going to miss you. Man, we’re gonna miss you.”
“How lucky I have been to live out a career I dreamed of as a kid,” LewAllen said. “I have had thousands of interactions with people from all over southeast Michigan and each and every one of them has made my life richer and I thank you all for that.”
He started at WXYZ as a sports reporter in 1988 before moving to news anchor in 2004. Before that, he worked for Detroit’s WJBK in Detroit and at WLNS in Lansing, Michigan.