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Hall of Fame 1993Walt KavanaghVideo |
Walt Kavanaugh was born July 11, 1923 in Omaha. His parents were Louis D. Kavanaugh, a South Omaha attorney, and Kathryn Lowry Kavanaugh, a South High School teaccher.
He attended St. Bridget's Grade School, then graduated from South High School in 1940. He enrolled at Creighton University, which was interrupted by more than three years in the U.S. Army during World War II, both in the Ground Infantry and in Airborne as a paratrooper.
Walt graduated from Creighton in 1947 and subsequently joined the staff at KFJB in Marshalltwon, Iowa. In 1950, he became a newscaster at top-rated KOWH in Omaha, which was owned by Storz Broadcasting.
Then in 1952, he started his 391/2 year career at KFAB in Omaha. He was proud to have served two of the leading stations in the country.
Walt awoke at 3:30 a.m. every day for four decades to inform people of the latest news of the morning and announce school closings on winter storm days. It is beieved the nearly 42 continuous years of delivering regularly scheduled newscasts is a broadcast record.
He retired January 31, 1992. His familiar resonant voice was also heard on a variety of commercials and public service announcemts after his retirement from KFAB.