In baseball, the identity of the umpire can often remain a mystery. However, that's not the case for one Reno man who’s been a referee for nearly 45 years and also been on local television for several decades.
Back in the early 80's, Chris Healy's career in television began on Channel 2 News as the weekend sportscaster. Despite his love for sports, the stint lasted less than five years, something Healy says was a blessing in disguise.
"All the skills that I learned at Channel 2, made it possible for the Department of Wildlife to hire me," says Healy.
It was his role as the public information officer at NDOW where Healy made himself a well-known figure in northern Nevada. In fact, for the last 31 years, Healy has been appearing in newscasts to inform the community about the do's and don'ts of the great outdoors.
"We preach that respect for the animals in all situations and hopefully that's the one thing I would like to leave with people, is to let's treat those animals the way they should be treated."
Healy’s love for wildlife didn't just happen on the job, in his spare time he’s a man of nature as well. He grew up with a fishing rod in his hand and even passed that knowledge onto his family
"When they were younger, they'd get out of school and immediately we'd be packing up and heading somewhere to go camping."
In fact, Healy’s wildlife passion has even come home with him. His backyard is filled with dozens of trees, a garden and two tortoises. In the coming months, Healy is going to be seeing a lot more of his backyard. That's because he’s retiring on Friday and his long tenure at NDOW will come to an end. His first order of business is to spend more time with his wife of 30 years. Beyond that, he also hopes to do more for himself.
"More time in the gym, more time fishing, more time on the baseball field, it sounds like a pretty cool life to me."
