Upon leaving that job, she continued to produce special news series and high profile interviews for NBC, for Black Entertainment Television and more. We love Bob. She also lectures frequently on the subject to architectural and preservation groups. Sometimes he was whimsical; his pieces about Richard, a giant cockroach with a unique way of looking at things, delighted many. One was, Youre a real clever guy. When 1979 rolled around, that was when I took my first hit off the pipe. The film has also placed in multiple film festivals, both nationally and internationally, and continues to stream on the PBS SoCal website. People continued to use his office as a crying post, as they had for years. Did you know theres an I Love Doreen Gentzler Facebook group? Jim Vance won many awards during his lengthy career, including 19 Emmy awards. Margo pretty much dropped out of Vances life, but he continued to take care of Dawn a lot. If I go blank, shell pick it up and leave it to the director to figure out how to get the camera onto her. I miss the grand displays he would put on from time to time. Vance remembers that his reporting audition, at this little rinky-dink station in Philly, was a complete abortion, but he got the job. AROUND THE END OF 1982, Vance got a call from Ed Bradley, a rising star at CBS in New York, who told Vance he wanted to come down and have dinner with him. Anyway, I walked up those stairs and walked into the room, and I remember the utter humiliation of being there. There are people working on stuff, and we dont even know what it is anymore. By then it was the late 60s, and drugs were out of the closet. In the meantime Im doing OK. Voice is a little weakI love what I do. Gentzler, 53, goes to the gym, bikes the Capital Crescent Trail, and doesnt want her teenage daughter to get her drivers license. Directors of Photography West Coast John Simmons, ASC Stephen Farrier East Coast Derek J. Allen. He was this tall, lanky, thin-legged guy wearing a toggle coat and a brown fedora and smoking a pipe, which I guess was his idea of what a college guy was supposed to look like. The best, most precious moments I spent were sitting with my grandfather on the front porch, rocking, Vance recalls. After eight years of being clean, he still goes to an AA, NA, or CA (Cocaine Anonymous) meeting nearly every day. I would pack Dawn up at 6:30 in the morning and take a box of diapers and pins and bottles and stuff, and Id take that kid to class. He said: You go in the studio and do what you do, Ill go into the control room and do what I do, and lets see what comes out., Fast-forward to the Emmy Awards: That show won. But after a year, I said wait a minute, I can do other stories, too. See pictures, plan your class reunion and get caught up with Kathy and other high . She is currently an independent producer based in Washington, DC. I imagine him wondering on that last night if there was life after death. Executive Producer Michelle Merker. Written by Royal Kennedy Rodgers. Kwasi Thomell who had performed a dramatic reading of Fraternity at the Lincoln Theatre in 1994. At the Lincoln Theatre on opening night, a nice-size audience showed up. During the course of her more than twenty years . Howd that happen?, David Brinkley said to me once, I like to go on the air knowing enough about what happened in the world today that if a big wind comes and blows my scripts away and a storm comes and knocks out the teleprompter, I can still do a half-hour show.. I dont know that there was a movement to make him known, and thats where Karen comes in. Hudson conducted much of the research the film relies on, including hiring photographers to document her grandfathers creations and building an exhaustive list of all the properties he built. You can see it on the set when he drums his fingers. The hourlong documentary, written, directed, and produced by Royal Kennedy Rodgers and Kathy McCampbell Vance, features several of the architects private properties peppered around greater Los Angeles. And there was no guarantee hed come back., One person who believed otherwise was Van Messel. I was livin large, as the saying goes, but I was also very, very unhappy. Gentzler: There was one broadcast my first week where George and Vance went off on some tangent, as they liked to do, and I think I interrupted them and moved things along. [11] Vance earned 19 Emmy Awards, one of which was for his coverage of the 1977 Hanafi Siege of three buildings in downtown Washington, D.C.[12] He also won an Emmy for his coverage of the January 1982 crash of Air Florida Flight 90 in the Potomac River that killed 78 people and a Metrorail train derailment the same day, which killed three people. That rascal was playing chicken on Lancaster Pike and hit a fire hydrant, she says. VANCE THRIVED ON THE PACE, but it wasnt enough. I didnt get drunk for the first time until I was 16 years old. She has a law degree from Howard University and a degree in speech and communications from George Washington University, according to LinkedIn. That was really touching. For more than 45 years, Jim Vance was not only the soul of NBC4 but of the entire Washington area, NBC4 president Jackie Bradford said in a statement. And I was in total control.. Jim Vance and Doreen Gentzler cant remember what line it was that they both refused to read one night on the 6 oclock news. I would not want to piss her off. But give him something to talk about that excites his curiosity or his passionhome rule, sports, black holes in the universeand he comes alive. And yes, it does appeal to whatever sense of macho I still have in me. That came later. Sad news. FESTIVAL AWARDS. What it came down to in the end was a realization that there is something unassailable about personal honesty. I just turned 69, and in the last four years there have been a couple of occasions where Ive thought: Thats enoughgo get a real job. Barack Obama once got to meet him. And I love them for that now. At the last moment, I didnt do it. Do you miss being out in the field as a reporter? Van Messel took me to some little caf on Connecticut Avenue, and there was Vance sitting at a table, reading a book, says Ostrowski. "Hollywood's Architect," a new documentary directed and produced by Royal Kennedy Rodgers and Kathy McCampbell Vance which will air on PBS SoCal as part of Black History Month . And I was. I had to take cash with me because we didnt have any credit. Kathy McCampbell Vance. The diversity of stylesfrom Googie to Spanish Colonial Revivalreflects the myriad cultures and languages that punctuate the citys streets. She recently launched Gumbo Girlz, an interactive journal for middle readers. The only one who always took up for me was Aunt Vivie, he says. A couple weeks ago doctors gave me some news. Now its go home and see if you can get them off the computer to talk to you for 30 seconds. Illustration by Kyle T. Webster. We have been friends on a professional level for 20 years, from the time I produced the nightly newscasts at WRC, but for the past five years he has refused a half-dozen of my requests for an interview. When I was with him, I had the feeling of being loved and cherished and protected. None. She is currently an independent producer, specializing in short-form story production, news and documentaries. Currently an independent producer specializing in documentaries and short form productions, she spent most of her career at NBC4 Washington, an NBC Network Owned and Operated TV station. Vance attends the daily assignment meeting at 9 a.m.almost unheard of for an anchor who does the 6 and 11 oclock newswhere he is seen as a guardian of journalistic values. How many architects live beyond their lives? Rodgers says. Despite his personal agony at seeing the mayor and his weaknesses stripped bare, professionally Vance was in his element. When the [printing] run was done, I would take the papers back to South Philadelphia, then go open up the gas station at 6 oclock and wait for the day guy to come on., He just couldnt let it go, recalls Barbara Vance, who lives in Washington and runs a speakers bureau. Karen E. Hudson, one of Williams' grandchildren, was a force behind its production; she has worked tirelessly to keep his work before the public . She died in 1988, but now, he says, hes made his peace with her. But I share the up side with them, toowhat my life is like now, not only without the drugs, but without the psychological burdens that came with drug use. (Williams did, however, design several structures in L.A.s black community as well, namely the 28th Street YMCA in South Central and Broadway Federal Bank in Mid-City.) [15], Vance was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame on August 10, 2007,[16] and was named "Washingtonian of the Year" by Washingtonian magazine in 1976 among many other awards for community service. Gentzler: I dont remember asking you to do that. I cried when I first heard that Marion was arrested. Did you know that clip has 12 million views? And his stature with the public and his colleagues is at an all-time high. And it just destroyed me., Partly because he disliked his teachers and partly because it wasnt cool to be too smart, he did just enough work to get by. On average, Kathy McCampbell Vance works for one company for 15 years 9 months. ", The anchors on their first newscast together in 1989. For the first time, Vance was able to come to grips with the rage and shame hed been carrying since childhood, such as the resentment he bore towards his uncles. Jim Vance was a steady voice who shared the news good or bad with grace. He was here 28 years. It was a commuter-train derailment, and we had to be on the air for several hoursno scripts, and there was a lot of misinformation. Vance: Oh, and you said I act like I know stuff.Gentzler: He is very good at acting like he knows what hes talking about when occasionally he does not have the faintest clue.Vance: Its a gift. He has also written for The Post's Style and Foreign sections. And I knew exactly what Ed Bradley was talking about, but I was so full of denial, I acted like, What are you talking about? And then he went on to tell me what he had been hearing and the reason he was there. Little Jimmy, as everyone called him, was raised mostly by his grandparents and his aunts and uncles. Everybody, including Vance, knew it was his last chance. The hourlong documentary, written, directed, and produced by Royal Kennedy Rodgers and Kathy McCampbell Vance, features several of the architect's private properties peppered around greater Los . I will tell them about that shotgun in my mouth. The Washington Post called Vance the dean of Washington news anchors.. I would try so hard to appear to be okay, it was exhausting. At the same time he got his first taste of the news business, doing radio newscasts on weekends for a popular deejay known as the Mighty Burner., His real love was the Philadelphia Independent, a now-defunct black newspaper acquired by his father-in-laws partner. Jim Vance was truly a Washington icon. We are inclusive of all persons regardless of race, ethnicity or faith. Kamax Productions, LLC, +1 . In his sophomore year, Vance got married. Vance was married briefly for 10 months, to Margo L. Vance (deceased 2014) when he was 19 and has a daughter Dawn from that marriage. Vance, WRC-TV's premier news personality, had emerged from his own bout with drugs four years earlier. I came back with a considerable sense of humility, Vance says. An honor to have known & worked with him. I want to do that as much for myself as for them., the proof that I didnt do that badly after all is the fact that I have some absolutely delightful kids. Kathy recalls the time, before they were married, when she was hospitalized after breaking her back in a car accident. Kathy McCampbell-Vance, who had been his writer and producer at WRC and, later, his wife, noticed a difference when he returned. I have been coming into work with my partners here whenever I can, and I shall continue to do that. I love that roar, that vibration when I get up to certain speeds. Ed Bradley, who adored baby Dawn, often took her for the day, driving her around in his convertible. People wanted Vance to be more like Max.. A short, gruff, no-nonsense guy, Van Messel had checked out doctors and facilities for Vance, accompanied him to Fair Oaks, and now visited him at Betty Ford. At NBC she executive produced live event programs, as well as local and syndicated shows for national and international distribution. In this time, he designed close to 3,000 buildings, but his sheer prolificness was eclipsed only by his stunning ability to design spaces in neighborhoods that redlining kept him out of. They were a hard-working, self-reliant clan, looked up to by their neighbors. Vances 11pm newscasts with Gentzler regularly drew more viewers than the prime-time shows of the three major cable news networks combined (CNN, Fox and MSNBC). He was one of the best friends Ive ever had and somebody who will never, ever be replaced. After leaving NBC as Program Director, she continued to produce special feature pieces for the station; fundraising videos for various non-profit organizations; and high profile interviews broadcast on BET Network, for L.A. based Jesse Collins Entertainment. And number three, and this I can promise you, you will never, ever again in your life enjoy getting high. So I would walk a quarter-mile over to the Ride-On and get the subway at Tuckermn Lane, and Id take the subway to treatment or to therapy or to meetings at night. He didnt talk much, but I never felt closer to another human being. He was going to be himself, do the best job he could and you could take it or leave it.. Dont forget at that time, [Channel 9 anchorman] Max Robinson was still around. Architecture and design film festivals and events. So I loaded that thing and put both barrels in my mouth and put my thumb on the trigger. I wanted to be cool like everybody else., One night in 1966, when he was 24, a couple of wreck-chasers took him to a house in West Philadelphia to see a friend of theirsa convicted murderer who had been let out of prison that day. He continued to work at recovery, going to AA or NA meetings every day and continuing to see his therapist. When Vance went back to the station, he was summoned to the office of general manager Fred De- Marco, who told Vance he was suspended. The largest part of my professional life was Vance. Vance has become very mellow, very sweet, very gentle in the past few years, says Kathy McCampbell. I wanted to be dangerous.. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. In the past he always had to be on the go, doing speeches, doing work, and what not. Williamss mark is seen on commercial buildings throughout Los Angeless grid of sun-soaked streets, too. But I wanted them to want to come to see me, so I would go out and buy a whole bunch of foodbananas, oranges, apples, canteloupes, all sorts of things I dont even eat. I would get so much advice, mostly from well-meaning blacks, about where I should go and what I should wear and what I should do.. And along with the fear, I was also trying to figure out how to get the money to get high again.. Farhi, Paul. He just picks up on the cues. Vances has about $8,000 in accessoriesextra chrome, sissy bar, back rest, windshield. I get a lot of e-mails about my hair. In the meantime Im doing OK. Voice is a little weakI love what I do. IAD faculty discussed Williams' legacy with co-producers/directors of a new PBS documentary, "Hollywood's Architect: Paul R. Williams," Royal Rodgers and Kathy McCampbell Vance, along with Bret Parsons, Marc Appleton, and Stephan Gee, the authors of "Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940: Paul R. Williams." I could not stand the pain any longer. To some extent, Vances stature is attributable to his sheer longevity. I would make a couple of zip guns or zappers the same night I had done well on an SAT test. Where are my kids?Gentzler: The thing I feel the most pride in is just being there, five nights a week, working with the same partner. According to LinkedIn Kathy McCampbell Vance started working on 1974, then the employee has changed 1 company and 2 jobs. Paul R. William's picture lies on top of blue drawing of the Beverly Hills Hotel. After finishing our meals, wed smoke cigarettes. He was married in 1987 to WRC-TV producer Kathy McCampbell, but they later separated. Im a reporter, he says. MANY OF HIS CO-WORKERS had no idea Vance was in trouble. Thats what you do when youre a parent. Amani, 24, is an assistant buyer for a retail company in New York, and shes constantly on the phone to her father, when she isnt visiting. Jim Vance, a beloved veteran news anchor in Washington D.C. has died. My English teacher, Mrs. Fowler, whose memory I will cherish for all of my life, would not accept anything less than what clearly was my best effort. Still, his bosses never told him what to write. Its the kind of news nobody wants to hear. He knows too much. Currently an independent producer specializing in documentaries and short form productions, she spent most of her career at NBC4 Washington, an NBC Network Owned and Operated TV station. Today, he says, hes happier and more at peace with himself than ever before. Was it strange not being home for dinner when your children were younger? Beginning at NBC4 Washington as a trainee reporter, in her more than 20 years at NBC 4 Washington, she rose through the ranks as news writer, show producer, executive producer, and ultimately Director of . Available streaming on PBS. Some did less. That was real important to my recovery. In May, he celebrated his 25th anniversary with WRC, prompting an outpouring of tributes. When he speaks, his opinions are given a lot of weight, not because hes the anchor but because hes Jim Vance.. Nobody ever does. His expensive cars had been repossessed, and he barely had any decent clothes left. They said I have cancer, and I need treatment. Nothing to it, just like Vance had shown. They would go riding up the sidewalks, down one-way streets the wrong way at 110 miles an hour, never stopping for red lightsI mean it was exciting to ride with those guys., The wreck-chasers, who wore fine clothes and drove fancy cars, would present themselves to the accident victims before the police or anyone else could get there. Nobody called him Jimmy or Jim anymore. [17], Vance lived in Silver Spring, Maryland. They used to play what they call the dictionary game: Before newscasts, Gentzler would point to a random word and see if she could find a way to use it on the air before Vance did. Gentzler: I felt like I had landed in TV nirvana. Farhi, Paul, "Jim Vance Off the Air: WRC Anchor's Next Move Unclear as Contract Expires". We had a hard time finding a football helmet big enough to fit him, laughs Vance. My husband said he saw you reporting on Snooki from Jersey Shore and he could tell you did not want to be talking about her. She was a producer and consultant for WRC-TV in Washington D.C. (Vance's long-time station), for two years from 1998 to 2000. So did Little Jimmy James H. Vance III. I never in my life, for 40-some years, had the notion that I deserved good things. To do what? If Id had a good answer, I would have walked. One thing Vance does with the full support of his bosses is his weekly segment Everyday Heroes, chronicling the deeds of ordinary peopleoften blackswho make a difference in their schools, churches, or communitiesa subject he feels strongly about. His wife is Kathy McCampbell Vance (m. 1987) Family; Parents: Not Available: Wife: Kathy McCampbell Vance (m. 1987) Sibling: Not Available: Children: .