Nick Vadala, The Philadelphia Inquirer
After more than four decades on the air at Action News, anchor Jim Gardner will retire next week. And with his retirement looming, everyone is getting their final alms in to the beloved newsman — including in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
On Wednesday, Rep. Madeleine Dean (D., Pa.) paid tribute to Gardner on the House floor, calling him “our Walter Cronkite,” invoking the name of the legendary CBS Evening News anchor. Gardner, Dean said, remained a strong journalistic institution for the Delaware Valley for 45 years, even as “the years changed and trust in our institutions eroded.”
“We will miss you in our living rooms, Jim, delivering the news with honesty, integrity, and respect,” Dean said. “And we wish you, America’s Anchor, a happy retirement.”
Dean’s feting of Gardner follows a similar congratulations earlier this month from Delaware Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons, who on the Senate floor Dec. 6 acknowledged the longtime anchor’s impact in the region.
Carper, in his statement, recapped Gardner’s lengthy career, which took him all over the world to cover many major events in recent history, and contextualize them for the people of the Delaware Valley. There is, Carper said, “a special place in heaven” for Gardner, thanks to his years of dedicated service.
“Perhaps what has allowed Jim to hold the trust of his viewers while engaging his audience night after night is that no matter where he’s traveled, he understands what matters to his viewers,” Carper said. “I want to say, Jim, to you and your family, congratulations on a job well done.”
Coons offered a similar statement, saying Gardner’s work has “contributed to our understanding of our place in the world, and brought us closer together.”
“You have given us a sense of continuity, of community, and of character in our local news, unmatched in so many other communities around our country,” Coons said. “You are a genuine treasure, a jewel of the Delaware Valley, and we will miss you deeply.”
Gardner’s last day with Action News is Wednesday, when he will finally step away from the program’s 6 p.m. broadcast and begin his retirement in full (Brian Taff will serve as his replacement). Even he’s not sure what’s next, telling The Inquirer that he may delve into podcasting, or do a special project for 6ABC here or there. Even his trademark mustache isn’t a sure thing.
“Maybe Jim Gardner is going away, and I’m going to reclaim Jim Goldman,” Gardner said, referencing his legal name, which he changed professionally at the suggestion of bosses at a Buffalo station before he came to Philadelphia. “It’s interesting to sort of think about that. Jim Goldman will probably shave off the mustache, right?”
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