Gene Walsh
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, October 27, 2021
Born: 1933
Died: September 1, 2021
Married: Judith Luce
Children: Magon, Craig, Molly
Gene Walsh was a son of John H. Walsh and Imogene R. Walsh, and the grandson of Dr. John C. Russell. He was a vice president of the National Broadcasting Company. He lives in Burbank, California.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, October 27, 2021
Gene Walsh
Gene Walsh was born in Saranac Lake in 1933. He passed away on Sept. 1, 2021 in Burbank, California. He attended Saranac Lake High School, where he won 12 varsity sports letters in football, basketball, baseball and track, was named to the 1951 All-State football team, and was elected to the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
He attended Paul Smith’s College, where he captained the 1953-54 basketball team. He received his BA in English from St. Lawrence University in Canton, where he played two years of basketball and was on the Dean’s list his senior year.
Gene served with the 16th Artillery of the U.S. Army's Fourth Armored Division in Germany, 1957-59.
Gene joined NBC-TV in New York in 1961 and worked in the program publicity units. In 1973, he was promoted to head the 50-member department. He was named an NBC Vice President in 1975. In 1977, he was transferred to NBC Burbank and headed the 45-member Press & Publicity Department. He retired in 1991.
Prior to joining NBC, Gene was a reporter and sports columnist for the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and a play-by-play announcer for radio station WNBZ in Saranac Lake.
In 1979, at age 45, he made the extreme sacrifice of giving up beer for 6 weeks in order to train for the Boston Marathon. He finished the race at the top of his age bracket.
In retirement, Gene traveled extensively, visiting all seven continents. He singled out the Antarctica continent, which he toured in 2004, as the most amazing site on earth.
He made many trips back to the Adirondacks during retirement.
Gene was one of four children born to Imogene Russell Walsh, with brothers John Walsh and Robert Walsh and sister Mary Alice Walsh.
His grandfather was Dr. John Russell, who opened his practice in Saranac Lake back in 1892.
He married Judith Luce of Saranac Lake in 1957. They first met at Paul Smith’s College and later worked together at The Dew Drop Inn where she was a waitress. She passed in 1997. They had three children together.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 4, 1975
Walsh appointed NBC vice president
NEW YORK – Gene Walsh has been appointed vice president, press and publicity, National Broadcasting Company, it has been announced by M.S. Rukeyser Jr. vice president, public information.
In 1968 and 1969 Walsh arranged for Saranac Lake Pee Wee hockey teams to play exhibitions at Rockefeller Center in New York. Part of the 1969 appearance included participation in the center's annual Christmas tree lighting television program, which Walsh arranged to have televised in Saranac Lake via WPTZ.
Walsh was graduated from Saranac Lake High School in 1952 where he won All-State and All-Northern football honors and the coveted "Red letter" of SLHS for football. He also won letters in basketball, baseball and track. As manager of the Gala's Inn Softball Team of New Jersey, he coordinated that teams appearances in Saranac Lake over a six year span, 1963 to 1968.
Walsh, a resident of Saranac Lake until 1961, is the brother of Robert Walsh of 176 Park Avenue, and the son of the late Imogene R. Walsh, formerly of 7 Olive Street.
Walsh, who has been director, press and publicity, since 1972 is responsible for the operation and administration of the NBC press department in New York, which he joined in 1961 as an associate magazine editor. In 1962 he was named assistant trade news editor and in 1963 he was promoted to manager, business and trade publicity.
He was appointed director, program publicity in 1969 and named director, press and publicity in July, 1972.
Before joining NBC, Walsh was a reporter and columnist for the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and director of press information for Paul Smith's College.
Walsh is a graduate of St. Lawrence University. He is a member of the university's communications committee and a past member of the executive committee of the Alumni Association.
He served with the U.S. Army's Fourth Armored Division in Germany.
Walsh's hobby is amateur athletics. He pitches fast-pitch softball with several teams in New York and New Jersey which have won championships, including the State of New Jersey "A"' Division title in 1972. In 1973 Walsh and his brother won silver medals competing in the North American two-man toboggan championships in Lake Placid. He also competed in the Boston Decathlon in 1973, finishing fifth.
Walsh is married to the former Judith Luce of Saranac Lake. They reside in Demarest, N.J. with their three children — Magon, 14, Craig, 13, and Molly, 7.
