Legendary B.C. radio reporter George Garrett dies at age 89
Longtime radio reporter George Garrett has died at the age of 89, prompting a flurry of tributes from colleagues, friends and admirers.
Garrett's daughter Linda confirmed her father died peacefully in hospice in Surrey, B.C., on Monday evening after living with cancer for the past two years.
Dubbed the "Intrepid Reporter," Garrett was known for his extensive list of contacts and always being first to a story. His career spanned over 40 years at radio station CKNW.
Former colleague George Orr describes Garrett as a man of high integrity who was kind to everyone.
Orr says Garrett had a competitive spirit, instilling in newsroom colleagues the need to "get it right, and get it first."
Orr said on his first day at CKNW his boss told him not to upset Garrett's contacts.
"I said, 'Who are they?' And he said, 'Well, everybody.' Because George Garrett knew everybody."
Garrett has been praised by many in the industry for his fair and accurate reporting.
He went undercover on several occasions, posing as an accident victim to reveal a personal injury lawyer's questionable practices and acting as a truck driver to expose fraud at a local towing company.
Other memorable career moments include breaking the news of the Second Narrows Bridge collapse in 1958 and ending up in hospital after being attacked while covering the Los Angeles riots in 1992.
Garrett, pictured here reporting in 1998, was described by colleagues and friends as kind and a man of high integrity. (CBC archives)
After retirement, Garrett co-founded the Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society, which offers cancer patients free rides to medical appointments.
Garrett won several lifetime achievement awards, including from the Jack Webster Foundation, the B.C. Association of Broadcasters, and the Radio Television Digital News Association of Canada.
He is survived by two daughters, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Garrett's son Ken, who had followed in his father's footsteps as a journalist, died in 1987 in a canoe accident.
CKNW established the Ken Garrett Memorial Award after his passing, which had disbursed over $13,000 to support 26 journalism students at BCIT as of 2022, according to the school.
Beloved colleague and friend
Former CKNW colleague, mentee, and friend Belle Puri, now a reporter at CBC News, says Garrett taught her how to be tough but fair.
"The key is to win people's trust, and really mean it," Puri noted as one of her key takeaways from working with Garrett.
She said Garrett's extensive list of trusted contacts included police officers, politicians, prosecutors, and judges.
Orr said on Garrett's last day of work before retiring in 1999, he broke the story of former B.C. Liberal leader Gordon Wilson disbanding his upstart political party, the Progressive Democratic Alliance, and crossing the floor to join the B.C. NDP.
"He went in with a box of doughnuts and was gonna put his feet up, but he got a tip," said Orr.
"He broke the story ... It was just another typical day in George Garrett's life."
Orr says he last saw Garrett about a week ago, noting he was still "sharp as a tack" and telling stories from his life that Orr hadn't yet heard.
Garrett's family says his loss is painful, but they are grateful they were able to have as many years as they did with their dad, grandfather and great-grandfather.
