WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A career spanning nearly four decades has come to an end.
Kelley Dunn signed off for the final time Wednesday after a 36-year career at WPTV.
Kelley Dunn says farewell to WPTV family, viewers
"I've been so blessed, so lucky in so many ways, mentored by the best," Dunn told viewers at the end of her final newscast. "I was given incredible opportunities. None of that is lost on me. I am humbled to the core."
The six-time Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the WPTV family on Feb. 10, 1986, beginning her career as a reporter two months after graduating from the University of Florida.
Six months later, she was behind the anchor desk, first in the mornings and then anchoring the midday newscast. She had been co-anchoring the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts.
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Dunn, who announced her retirement in February, has spent her entire professional life at WPTV – a rarity in the industry.
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"I'm just so grateful," a tearful Dunn said to her longtime viewers. "I don't know what to say except thank you for welcoming me into your home and treating me like a family member when you see me out in public."
Dunn has work alongside some of the most respected anchors in the news business, among them Kent Ehrhardt, Jim Sackett and, most recently, Michael Williams.
Sackett, Dunn's former co-anchor, worked at WPTV for 34 years before his 2011 retirement. She's been paired with Williams for the last 11 years.
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Dunn will soon be trading in the Florida sunshine for the mountains of North Carolina.
As Dunn prepares for life after news, she's grateful for the opportunities she's had to connect with viewers, sharing their stories of desperation, inspiration and joy since 1986.
"I'm so absolutely flabbergasted by all of this," Dunn said while standing on the news set alongside Williams and many of her family members and former colleagues from WPTV. "I can't thank all of you enough for being my life."
WPTV Special: 'Farewell Kel, Job Well Dunn'
Watch "Farewell, Kel: Job Well Dunn," WPTV's one-hour special tribute to Kelley Dunn, in its entirety in the player above or on the WPTV app on your phone or your favorite streaming device.