Apr 14, 2009 8:53 am US/Eastern
Former CBS 3 Reporter Dies In Texas Wildfire
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
Fast-moving wildfires in Texas claimed the lives of former KYW-TV reporter Matt Quinn and his wife last week.
According to WFFA.com, Quinn, 80, his 63-year-old wife Cathy and their son, Chris, were attempting to flee their Montague home when they were overtaken by the intense wildfires Thursday. Mr. and Mrs. Quinn were killed; their son survived and treated at an area burn center.
Quinn was a seasoned reporter who held a number of positions during his broadcast career. From 1972 to 1977 he worked at KYW-TV as a general assignment reporter and anchor. Quinn also co-hosted the political program "Meetinghouse" with the late Jessica Savitch.
"We worked together at KYW then competed against each other in Texas. He never forgot his time in Philadelphia reporting on city hall where he and Mayor Rizzo squared off on more than a few occasions," said former CBS 3 Executive Producer Frank Traynor.
After leaving Philly, Quinn joined the network as an ABC News Correspondent and later moved on to work for WFAA in Texas where he became a household name until his retirement in the 1980s.
"Matt was a great storyteller who let the pictures and sound set the mood and communicate the story to the audience. He very rarely ever wanted to put himself into the story so it is ironic that he became the focus of this tragic story," Traynor said.
According to his obituary, Quinn and his wife are survived by their sons Chris Quinn of Montague, Texas, Gene Quinn of Conyers, Ga., Ted Quinn of Globe, Ariz., and three daughters, Betsy Quinn Krause of Globe, Ariz., Kelley Ferrell of Forney, Susan Costigan of Blackwood, New Jersey. He also had eight grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
The family will be holding a memorial for Matt at the Parkland Hospital Chapel in Dallas on Tuesday, April 14.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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