Bob Clinkscale, a former WCVB news anchor and professor, had second calling in his church

Norman Miller, The MetroWest Daily News
Updated ·3 min read

FRAMINGHAM — For 10 years, morning news viewers woke up to Robert "Bob" Clinkscale, host of WCVB-TV's "Eyeopener News."

Clinkscale, a longtime Framingham resident, died Jan. 25 due to complications with Alzheimer's disease. He was 92.

"There wasn't a lot of competition at the time — it was one of the first early-morning broadcasts in the country when they started it," said Clinkscale's son, Tom. "He really loved it. It was just him, the producer and weather man. He wrote every piece of news; he built the whole show."

Clinkscale was born in Dorchester in 1931 and became an orphan at a young age, according to his daughter, Kathy Climpson.

Bob Clinkscale, former anchorman for WCVB and a Framingham resident, recently died at 92.
Bob Clinkscale, former anchorman for WCVB and a Framingham resident, recently died at 92.

Obituary: Robert Clinkscale, 92, was TV anchorman, longtime Framingham resident

"He's definitely an American success story," she said. "He grew up with nothing — both of his parents were dead by the time he was 12 — and he ended up a successful broadcast journalist."

Bob Clinkscale started his broadcast career in Vermont

Clinkscale served in the Coast Guard during the Korean War. He then attended a two-year journalism school before joining a small radio station in Vermont, then moved back to Massachusetts. He and his wife of 68 years, Mary, lived briefly in Hopkinton before moving to Brookdale Road in Framingham, where they lived for 60 years. They raised their six children there — Danny, Jim, Kathy, John, Tom and Colleen, Tom Clinkscale said.

Besides his time at WCVB, Clinkscale also worked briefly for WBZ and WLVI. While at WCVB, he also did local cut-ins for "Good Morning America," his son said.

Along with his broadcasting career, Clinkscale was an adjunct professor at Emerson College in Boston for 35 years, where he received the RTNDA Lifetime Achievement Award for endless dedication to excellence in journalism. Each year, Emerson awards the Robert F. Clinkscale Journalistic Integrity Award to a standout student.

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"He loved his career on TV, but we all said he should have been a teacher because he really loved it," Climpson said.

Tom Clinkscale agreed.

"He loved, loved, loved teaching."

Clinkscale's love for baseball led him to coach Little League

Outside of work, Clinkscale loved baseball. He coached Little League and other baseball leagues for years in Framingham until he was in his mid-70s, Climpson said.

He also loved to sing. He had memorized "Paul Revere's Ride," and tried to teach it to each of his children and his 16 grandchildren.

"My dad loved to sing — no matter what we were doing, he would burst into Broadway songs," said Climpson. "He had memorized Paul Revere's story and when I came to visit from New Jersey with my kids, he'd always say, 'Do you know the story of Paul Revere?' and then tell it to them."

Bob Clinkscale and his wife Mary. Clinkscale of Framingham is a former anchorman at WCVB and recently died.
Bob Clinkscale and his wife Mary. Clinkscale of Framingham is a former anchorman at WCVB and recently died.

Clinkscale was heavily involved in his church — the Chapel of the Cross in Westborough. He was also a longtime member and served as chairman of the board for the Converge Northeast Conference, an organization that offers leadership training, coaching and global missions to churches.

During the 1980s, he led chapel services for the Boston Red Sox.

"My dad was a very charismatic person, very energetic," said Climpson. "He was fun. In his later years, he really loved doing things with his grandkids."

There will be a visitation for Clinkscale from 4-8 p.m. Friday at the McCarthy, McKinney & Lawler Funeral Home, 11 Lincoln St., Framingham. A funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Chapel of the Cross, 160 Flanders Road, Westborough. A reception follows at The Chapel Downtown, 286 Central St., Winchendon.

A military burial with honors is planned for 10 a.m. Monday at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 111 Glenallen St., Winchendon.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Bob Clinkscale, former Boston news anchor and professor, dies at 92