Harry Porterfield (Crusader file photo)
As the tributes and memorials continue to reach family and colleagues of the late Harry Porterfield, who died on Monday, October 23, of natural causes at age 95, many of those tributes speak to his career as an outstanding broadcast journalist.
Porterfield was best known for his career at WBBM and WLS, both Chicago television stations. “His Someone You Should Know” segments were human interest features that were staples of the evening news programs at both stations.
Yet there was another side of Porterfield when he was off camera. For over 50 years, he commuted daily from his home in the Miller Development in Gary to Chicago. When not working, Porterfield was a part of social and civic activities throughout Gary and the Northwest Indiana area.
“I was always impressed that he was on this broad platform over in Chicago but yet he was still here in Gary, Indiana. He was always accessible and always claimed Gary as his home,” said Chelsea Stallings-Whittington of C-Whit Communications.
Whittington was involved in several projects with Porterfield’s family members and said that when various organizations sought his support, the family members were the ones to contact. “Whenever we wanted his support, they were the go-to for help, whether it was getting him to emcee something or endorsing something or even pitching a story to, his family was always very helpful, making sure we had a connection to him,’’ said Stallings-Whittington.
For Gary Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chuck Hughes, Porterfield was his final assignment in broadcasting school when he earned his certificate in broadcasting from Midwest Broadcasting School. “He was a mentor to me in the news and television business, and he was a beloved fraternity brother,” said Hughes. Hughes said the year he sponsored the Northwest Indiana and Chicago Benefit Basketball Game, Porterfield participated in the event.
Toyka Cunningham says Porterfield’s friendship with a Gary doctor led to her mother being featured in one of the “Someone You Should Know” interviews. At the time of the interview, Cunningham’s mother, Thelma, a cancer survivor, had been treated at one time by Dr. David Chube, and he suggested that she would be a good subject to interview. “The interview dealt with her having lung cancer and still fighting against the odds and how she was continuing to work to keep a positive spirit despite her illness,” said Cunningham. Cunningham also stated that she and Porterfield attended the same high school.
Calumet Township Trustee Kimberly Robinson’s ties to the Porterfield family extend from his widow to his children. Robinson and Mrs. Porterfield are both members of the Links organization, and Robinson and Porterfield’s daughter are friends.
“He was like our local celebrity. Because he was on Chicago television, a lot of people thought he lived in Chicago instead of right here in our own community. It was always a treat to see him at social events or at the Miller Bakery restaurant, one of his favorite spots. The biggest thing was, he was a local celebrity,” said Robinson.
