DURHAM Referred to as “the dean of local television news,” Larry Stogner passed away at his home Sunday night. Stogner’s family announced the news of his passing on Monday. Stogner, who was 69, began his anchor career in the Triangle at UNC-TV. He worked as an anchor and reporter at WRAL-TV. He joined ABC 11 WTVD in 1976 and became anchor for the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscast in 1982. In a story posted by WTVD, Caroline Welch said, “There is much to say. Larry had an incredible career here at ABC11 and led our newsroom for decades. We will pay him the proper tribute as we have time to absorb this news.”Stogner was born in Burlington, North Carolina on Oct. 25, 1946 and was raised in Yanceyville. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill. UNC-Chapel Hill tweeted “We join those offering condolences to Larry’s family, friends and colleagues. He was a Tar Heel and a journalist titan. Stogner announced his retirement from WTVD in 2015 and shared with viewers and his colleagues he was battling ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Stogner took up raising awareness for ALS and volunteered to help a Duke University study aimed to help patients with the disease. A year after Stogner’s retirement WTVD honored Stogner by naming their Durham studio in his honor. Stogner is survived by his wife Bobbi, their six children and their grandchildren.
