(WSVN) - It’s officially the end of an era. 7’s “Help Me Howard” reporter Patrick Fraser is retiring. While it’s hard to say goodbye and good luck to the next chapter, we couldn’t help but take a look back at his amazing 40-year 7News career.
Patrick Fraser has likely received more handshakes and hugs than any other journalist in South Florida.
For more than 25 years, he worked to solve people’s problems on “Help Me Howard.”
But his compassion for 7News viewers was evident long before he took the helm of “Help Me Howard.”
During the exhausting, continuing coverage of Hurricane Andrew, he made sure a 6-year-old boy who no longer had a home got a cake and toys for his birthday, giving his family comfort during an unimaginable time.
Patrick’s unique gift as a journalist has always been the ability to look beyond the obvious horror and show viewers the humanity and the heartache of the people living it.
Patrick sat with Calvin McNeil as he cried in court while facing his little brother’s killer, 51 years after the 13-year-old was stabbed to death.
During his 40 years at 7News, Patrick Fraser has covered some of Florida’s biggest stories.
He spent weeks in Gainesville in 1994 after five college students were murdered.
He was the first to report Danny Rolling was caught, reported exclusively that Rolling would plead guilty, and was there the day the notorious killer was put to death.
Patrick also spent years with the family of Tiffany Sessions, another Gainesville college student killed while out for a jog in 1989.
It was Patrick who an inmate chose to tell what he knew about the crime.
Patrick Fraser: “I received these seven letters from an inmate at Florida State Prison.”
The letters were given to Tiffany’s father.
Patrick Sessions: “It’s disturbing. It breaks my heart, but it doesn’t surprise me.”
During election season, it has been Patrick breaking down the numbers and the issues for South Floridians, covering conventions and inaugurations, and finding the interesting side stories to the nation’s historic moments.
You could see Patrick’s breath while covering the Dolphins in Buffalo, New York. He is not a fan of cold weather.
Patrick Fraser: [sarcastically] “Lovely weather we’re having here. I was just reading in the Buffalo News that summer ran seven days last year. Why am I not surprised?”
But seriously, it should be no surprise that Patrick has been as generous off-air as on.
He has lent his time and support to causes important to him and to South Floridians.
Thank you, Patrick, for bringing your compassion, your thoughtful reporting and your all-in attitude to solving other people’s problems with “Help Me Howard.”
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