Stanley Austin Atkinson

Stanley Austin Atkinson November 11, 1932 – May 25, 2025

Stanley Austin Atkinson (92) died May 25, 2025, at 4:30 am in the arms of his beloved wife, Kristen, at Mercy McMahon Terrace in Sacramento. There are plans for a private, family-only memorial service in the future.

He was the father of four sons and a daughter: Brad, Lance (who preceded him in death), Mike, Alex, and Sarah. Stan was also the stepfather of Griffen and Alyson McCann and David and Adam Laverine. In October 1996, Stan was lucky enough to marry Kristen McCann. He was the proud grandfather of 14 and great-grandfather of 14.

Stan Atkinson studied journalism at Pasadena City College before serving in the U.S. Army as a Fort Ord Division faculty member, teaching 20,000 trainees. He was a documentary producer, writer, and director for David Wolper Productions, a reporter and anchorman in the San Francisco Bay Area, and NBC Los Angeles, where he covered the Tate-LaBianca murders and the trial of Charles Manson.

For over twenty years, he became the most popular news figure in the nation's 19th-largest television market. The Sacramento Bee called him "The Man Who Owns Sacramento." He was an award-winning reporter who regularly traveled to the world's most turbulent places to bring a deeper insight to the local evening news. In 31 assignments, he covered 18 countries in crisis. His work was often featured on national television.

He selected all of his assignments himself, many of them dangerous, such as being chased by a Soviet helicopter gunship in Afghanistan, held up and robbed by guerrillas in El Salvador, and shot at in Cambodia. Stan also covered the presence of U.S. forces in Bosnia, reported on Hong Kong's reunification with China, went to Baghdad and Kuwait before and after Operation Desert Storm, covered the withdrawal of American forces from Somalia, and on his third assignment to South Africa, Stan covered the remarkable transition of South Africa as their citizens voted in the country's first all-race, democratic election.

Atkinson also has a long history with Vietnam. He was there in 1961 and 1962 when it was still "The Dirty Little War" in the south, and in 1987, he took former Green Beret Captain (the late B.T. Collins) back to Vietnam.

Stan Atkinson retired in July 1999 after 46 years in television and radio. He was the principal news anchor and reporter for KCRA 3 Sacramento for 23 years. Then, he spent 5 years at KOVR 13 anchoring and reporting on the weekday newscasts.

Due to his journalism and community work, Atkinson was honored by the State Legislature, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, the Sacramento City Council, and the Congressional Record. Stan also received many awards, including the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce's "Sacramentan of the Year," a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sacramento Regional Foundation, the World Affairs Council Award for International Reporting, and the Albert and Mary Lasker Award for Medical Journalism.

He was one of 25 reporters selected for the prestigious Ford Foundation Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University in 1967. He won three Emmys for his two assignments inside Afghanistan and another for a documentary he produced while covering Somalia in 1981. Atkinson also received Distinguished Service Medals from both Afghan and Angolan Freedom Fighters.

In 2016, the Northern California chapter of the National TV Academy presented him with the Governor's Award. The award is given to an individual for outstanding achievement in television that is either cumulative or so extraordinary and universal as to be beyond the realm of the regular achievement awards presented by the Academy. He was among the first selectees to be named to the TV Academy's Silver Circle as a television pioneer.

Stan Atkinson's community service work in Sacramento began in 1960, and in his lifetime, he helped raise more than $8 million for area agencies and charities. He received the United Way's Humanitarian of the Year and National Philanthropy Association's Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year awards.

He remained active in community affairs during retirement, including raising money to erect the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the State Capitol grounds and partnering with the River Cats, the East Sacramento Rotary, and friend Michael Ubaldi to help build River Cat's Independence Field.

Atkinson served on the boards of Mercy Foundation (27 years), The First Tee of Greater Sacramento, the Advisory Board of California State University, Sacramento, and the WEAVE board of directors.

In honor of his son Lance Atkinson, who died suddenly at 34 of undetermined causes in April 1994, the Lance Atkinson Scholarship was established at the Business School of California State University, Sacramento, which provided full tuition support for eight students.

While Stan has now joined his deceased son Lance in heaven, he is survived by his wife Kristen, two brothers, four children, 14 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren, who will all miss his generous spirit and relentlessly positive outlook.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to the Mercy Foundation in support of Mercy McMahon Terrace: https://supportmercyfoundation.org/stanatkinson