Stan Atkinson lived close to Ancil Hoffman Park, Carmichael during much of his Sacramento television career.

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - A long-time friend of Carmichael, Stan Atkinson died last Saturday, aged 92.

The town’s nationally-lauded neighbor was an everyday figure during much of his KCRA anchoring career. Stan to everyone, he haunted neighborhood coffee shops, markets and golfed at Ancil Hoffman Park. Although he served in Korea and saw the horrors of many conflicts, a smile wreathed his face as reliably as Mount Rushmore’s profiles.

He and my late husband, John Skinner, were buddies. The Atkinson bear-hug welcomed me as a new bride. He was attentive, courtly and kind. Handsome and polished. As comfortable in tuxedo as in battledress.

My Vietnam veteran and bandleader husband was cut from the same khaki. We often met Stan at galas, where he’d call “Hey, Skinner!” as eagerly as greeting a city mayor. With unfeigned respect for veterans, Stan was a pal to anyone who had worn a uniform. On top of that, he dug musicians. When Skinner played Glenn Miller, Stan and his pretty wife, Kristen, tripped light and fantastic. 

“Mr Carmichael” was a journalist’s dream.  He would pick up the phone and provide a good quote any time you called.  I inevitably included the celebrity in my book on Carmichael. Back then, Stan was helping The First Tee, a nonprofit that taught the skills and etiquette of golf to children. Calling this community course his favorite, Stan posed for my Ancil Hoffman Park photo with a bunch of First Tee kids. 

“Geese honking, coyotes loping, does and bucks elegantly poised, you never know what you'll encounter playing golf here,” Stan enthused.

Here, and all over our town, so many Carmichaelites remember encounters with dear Stan. A great neighbor, a great old-school newsman and a great American. 

The Atkinson family plans a private funeral.