COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — After a long and illustrious career of serving the communities of Southern Colorado, Rob Quirk, a pillar of KOAA News5, will be signing off one last time Thursday evening as he heads to retirement from the broadcast news business.
Thursday marks 35 years since Quirk was hired by the station in 1989. He has spent 44 years working in newsrooms across the country.
Quirk, who is originally from Lockport, New York, graduated from Arizona State University.
He had several other news jobs in Arizona and Texas before starting his career at KOAA. Quirk started as a weekend anchor and weekday reporter before taking the main anchor slot at KOAA in 1991.
In 2000, Quirk was awarded the Broadcast Citizen of the Year by the Colorado Broadcasters Association, for all of his volunteer and community service work.
His anchoring, reporting, and producing have won numerous awards with the Colorado Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press. He has also won two Emmys for his news coverage of the Aurora Theatre killings and the Club Q murders. Other highlights from his career include a one-on-one interview with President Obama at the White House, coverage of the Waldo Canyon and Black Forest wildfires, the federal trial of Oklahoma City bomber Timonthy McVeigh in Denver and the devastating flash floods in 2013, among other highlights.
WATCH: ROB QUIRK ONE-ON-ONE WITH FORMER PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
Quirk says the most important duty in his eyes was trying to succeed in the day-to-day grind of advising, listening, leading, laughing, crying, suggesting, mentoring, writing, re-writing, producing, crafting, criticizing and working to improve daily newscasts to try and bring you the best version of the stories that matter that day.
After more than 40 years in the business, Quirk says that there are many things he will miss, most notably the great people that he's had the pleasure of working with and for over the years.
Quirk says he is proud of his contribution to journalism and community service across Colorado and the other markets where he worked prior to moving to Colorado.
Rob is the fourth of nine children in his family, lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Jackie. He and Jackie will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this summer. Quirk has two daughters, Molly and Alison, and is the grandfather of three.
Quirk has been very involved in numerous causes across Southern Colorado that are close to his heart, including the Multiple Sclerosis (M-S) Society Walks in Colorado Springs and Pueblo.
Quirk is a huge sports fan, and he follows the Buffalo Bills, Colorado College hockey, and all Air Force sports. He also enjoys the beautiful trails and mountain vistas of Colorado, as well as hiking, skiing, and golfing.
Tune in to News5 at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Thursday to help us thank and celebrate Rob Quirk's career serving Southern Colorado.
Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to see more coverage from Rob Quirk during his time with KOAA.
The journey is not over, if you want to stay connected you can always see what Quirk is up to by following his Facebook Page.
We have documented some of Rob's most impactful work from this previous year below.
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