Lewis Tipton Stringer was an American television pioneer, a weather reporter, and the wife of prominent news anchor Chet Huntley. She was a winning interview subject on television programs. She created most of the program’s content: interviews, cooking segments, and a cartoon creation called Senator Fairweather. The show became wildly popular with viewers.
She created Senator Fairweather, a cartoon character who commented on the day’s events. Ms. Stringer recorded herself speaking as the senator that was aired at “meet the press” events. That year, she ranked among the firsts women to be seen on market news.
Early Life and Family
Stringer was born in July 1930 in Illinois. She was the daughter of Arthur and Louise. Her parents graduated from the University of Chicago, where they met and married. Her father was one among the high board of NBC. Immediately after high school, she joined the University of Maryland, changing her name to Tippy.
Tippy was one of the first women in broadcast news and a pioneer of the new technology of wireless microphones that made broadcast news possible. When Stringer’s career began at CBS Radio in 1955, she was one of only a handful of female network news staffers. She quickly became known for her lively delivery and for being able to stay on script no matter what was happening around her.
But it was her personality that set her apart and helped her become such a popular figure on the air. A few months before joining CBS, Stringer had been crowned homecoming queen at the University of Maryland and went on to star in university productions. She also was active in student government and sports writing, eventually becoming editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper. She took part in two national debates on college campuses.
Relationships
David Brinkley, the long-time NBC newscaster, introduced Conrad to Chet Huntley, a friend and colleague of Brinkley’s at NBC. They fell in love and later married in 1959 and lived in New York until they retired.
After fifteen years of a romantic relationship, Chet died of lung cancer at 62. This was just three days before Tippy opened their resort. Huntley’s widow, who became chairwoman of the board and chief executive officer, led the development of Big Sky into one of North America’s most famous Ski resorts.
William Conrad, a famous American actor, paid a visit to the Big Sky Resort, and that’s where she met Tippy. They got engaged and married in 1980. Tippy moved to Los Angeles to help her husband manage his career.
Career
When television was in its infancy, Ms. Huntley was among the first local TV personalities to become a familiar face in Washington. Mrs. Huntley began her career in broadcasting as a stenographer at WRC, an NBC affiliate in Washington. In 1950 she became a forecast presenter at NBC.
With her hair coiffed in a bouffant and wearing pearl, Mrs. Huntley issued forecasts twice a day, smiling through whatever nature had in store for the capital. Listeners highly anticipated her forecasts that executives at WRC-TV once considered moving the evening news to accommodate them.