TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Harry W. Porterfield, Jr. 1928-2023 Television Broadcaster, U.S. Army
P ioneering television broadcaster Harry W. Porterfield, Jr. (Sigma 1954) entered the Chapter Invisible on October 23, 2023, at 95. After moving to Chicago, Illinois, in 1964, Porter- field went on to become one of Chicago’s best- loved media personalities,
from the Army, he enrolled at Eastern Michigan Univer- sity, where he earned his B.S. degree in chemistry in 1954. He began his post-college career as a disc jockey, producer, cameraman, stagehand, and commercial writer at WKNX in Sagi- naw. In 1964, Porterfield moved to CBS WBBM-TV Ch. 2 in Chicago, working as a producer, writer, and general assignment reporter. In 1972, Porter- field to the anchor desk, making him among the first African Americans in Chicago in this role. Eventually, he co-anchored
within the greater Chicago- land community. In 1985, WBBM decision to remove Porterfield from the anchor desk triggered a boycott from community members. Porterfield joined WLS channel 7 ABC news in 1985. Over the next 24 years, he was a strong part of the team that produced the top-rated news programs. He stayed at WLS until 2009 when he returned to CBS before retiring in 2015. Through- out his 51-year career in Chicago journalism, Porter- field won 11 Emmys, a Stud Terkel Award, Columbia DuPont Journalism Award in addition to receiving count- less other recognitions. He was also inducted into the Silver Circle of the Chicago chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1988. Porterfield was a consummate musician, accomplished on the violin, piano, and guitar. Throughout his career, he stayed active in his community through many organizations. He was a
board member of the Jazz Institute of Chicago, and played the violin with the Chicago Bar Association and the Famous “Do it your- self Messiah” Chicago. For over 25 years, Porterfield faithfully spent the holiday playing Handel’s Messiah along with hundreds of other volunteer musicians and choir members. Porterfield was an avid supporter of the jazz com- munity. He was an active board member of the Jazz Institute of Chicago and spent the better part of a weekday evening at Andy’s Jazz Club listening to his favorite local musicians. Brother Harry W. Por- terfield, Jr. is survived by his wife of 55 years Mar- ianita, sons, Eric (Tina) Shropshire, and JJ (Angela) Porterfield; daughters, Gina Shropshire and Allison (Robert) Porterfield-Woods; granddaughter Amanda Shropshire-Porterfield, and great-grandson, Christian Shropshire-Newson, as well as a host of cousins. ♦
known for his series, Someone You Should
Know . Porterfield touched many lives and mentored many young journalists throughout his career. He was respected by many members of both the local and national broadcast community. Harry William Porterfield Jr. was born August 29, 1928, in Saginaw, MI to Harry Sr. and Viola Porterfield. He finished Arthur Hill High School in 1946. He earned an associate degree Bay City Community College before enrolling in the University of Michigan for one year. He was drafted to the U.S. Army in 1949 and served in Germany for two years as a Sergeant. After his discharge
the WBBM-TV news and created the Emmy Award-winning shows
Channel Two: The People and Two on Two. Someone You Should Know, his most popular series, aired in 1977 for the first time. “Some- one You Should Know” was a brief segment where Porterfield, over the course of his career, highlighted the accomplishments of thousands of unrecognized but extraordinary people
58 THE JOURNAL ♦ FALL 2024
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