Gary LaPierre Wraps Up 42 Years At WBZ

[Scott Fybush]

>    This morning at 9:20 AM, WBZ morning news anchor Gary LaPierre closed
> his
> microphone for the last time, wrapping up his 42 year run at 1170 Soldiers
> Field Road. It was not a typical Friday in the WBZ studios, as most of the
> morning was devoted to guests calling in to congratulate Gary, such as
> retired WBZ personality Dave Maynard, Governor Romney, and former Governor
> Dukakis, along with recorded greetings from Charles Laquidera, Dale
> Dorman,
> and Tom Bergeron. Plus, we heard a Jess Cain bit from the past with Cain
> impersonating Mel Brooks poking fun at Gary during one of his WHDH radio
> morning shows.

I'm deeply regretting not dropping everything and driving east to be there
for the big moment. The video stream on BZ's web site was a nice
consolation, at least...it was good to see some faces that haven't graced
the corridors of 1170 Soldiers Field Road in a while, like Jay McQuaide
and Carol Lanigan.

Speaking of the corridors, I've just received (thank you, Peter Casey) a
photo of Gary and Peg leaving the building at the end of the morning.
Anyone who's been in the building since the renovation knows the main
corridor that leads back from the lobby past TV master control to the
newsroom - it was packed solid with what looked like every person in the
building, all saluting Gary at the conclusion of one hell of a career. I
thought I'd managed to get all the tears out while listening to Gary's
farewell this morning, but no - turns out there were still a few left!
(The picture will be in Monday's NERW.)

It's still pretty much impossible for me to imagine that the next big
story to hit New England won't have Gary's voice announcing and explaining
it on 1030. I got the impression, in a very brief phone conversation with
Gary very early this morning, that he can't quite imagine it yet, either.

I'm pretty sure we haven't heard the last from "the boy from Shelburne
Falls" just yet...

s