* Richard Watson; Camera Operator for KTLA

Richard “Dick” Watson, camera operator for the news department of KTLA-TV, died last Thursday. He was 70.

Watson was born March 17, 1929, in Wenatchee, Wash. When he was 9, his family moved to Sherman Oaks where he attended school. Later, he graduated from Van Nuys High School and attended Los Angeles City College.

He was in the Army’s marching band after being drafted in 1950. While in the service, he also formed a band that played in clubs on weekends.

Watson wanted to work in the film industry, so he applied at KTLA. A job was waiting for him after he was discharged from the service.

In 1959, his future wife started working at KTLA. They met and began dating. Six months later, on Feb. 13, 1960, he and Judy were married by the now-famous Judge Joseph A. Wapner in Los Angeles Municipal Court.

Watson was a cameraman for KTLA at Angels baseball games. He also had worked for Hal Fishman at Channel 5 News for 25 years.

Watson was one of the first cameramen to work with a hand-held camera, and he used it covering the Bel-Air fire, the Watts riots, and Robert Kennedy’s assassination.

For the past 46 years, he worked for KTLA and filmed the Rose Parade for more than 20 years.

Watson had received many Emmy nominations for camera work on sitcoms and variety shows. In 1997, he received a Golden Mike award for his camera work in the news department.

He had a pilot’s license, and enjoyed still photography, golfing and gardening. Speaking from the couple’s Westlake Village home, Judy Watson said her husband also enjoyed playing piano.

In addition to his wife, Watson is survived by a son, Mitchell; a daughter, Jackie Watson; his mother, Beatrice Watson, and a sister, Dorothy Gregory, all of Sherman Oaks.

Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. today at Pierce Bros. Chapel in Westlake Village with Father Stan Harris officiating. A longtime friend, Bud Wilson, will give a tribute. Burial will follow at Pierce Bros. Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village.