The importance of family was instilled in Tom (bottom row, center) at an early age.No description foundTom and his brother grew up in this home in Pittsburgh.No description foundTom attended American University in Washington, D.C.Tom got the broadcasting bug spinning records at the college radio station.After college Tom was hired by WTOP radio, which was owned by the Washington Post.He also did some anchoring on WTOP-TV, which has since been sold and became WUSA.In 1975, Tom moved to Post-owned WJXT-TV to co-anchorwith Bill Grove, the station's founding news director and anchor.Tom joined an award winning news team that also dominated the ratings.No description foundIn addition to his anchor duties....... Tom contributed field reports to the newscasts.Tom and his wife, Gina, settled into Jacksonville.No description foundNo description foundDeborah Gianoulis joined WJXT in 1979 and went on to co-anchor the evening newswith Tom for the next 25 years.Sports director Sam Kouvaris joined the station in 1981, and Tom, Deborah and meteorologistGeorge Winterling stayed together as Channel 4's main anchor team for more than two decades.Meanwhile, the Wills family was growing...... and before you know it, there was Josh, Kate and the youngest, Mike (on Tom's lap).Tom's news family was also growing, with the addition of more newscasts in the early 1980s.Mary Baer joined the team in 1992 and would take over co-anchoring whenDeborah retired from the business in 2003.No description foundA dozen years later, Tom and Mary continue to co-anchor the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts.No description foundNo description foundAnd there was a new generation of the Wills family. Tom's first grandchild is Adele.Then came another,Jack.Tom couldn't be prouder of his children and grandchildren.Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown came to WJXT to deliver a proclamation declaring May 12 "Tom Wills Day."The station honored Tom's 40 years on WJXT with the special: 40 Years The Real Deal.In the first minutes, Tom makes it clear he still enjoys his job too much to retire.
The importance of family was instilled in Tom (bottom row, center) at an early age.
