Joyce Kulhawik: Jack Williams 'Is The Ultimate Anchorman'

BOSTON (CBS) - Joyce Kulhawik, arts and entertainment anchor at WBZ-TV for more than 25 years, said her former colleague Jack Williams is someone who can capture an audience, whether that audience is a handful of people in a newsroom or thousands of viewers at home.

Friday marks Williams' final day as a full-time anchor with WBZ after joining the news team in 1975. Kulhawik, who started at the station in 1978, reflected on the time spent at WBZ with Williams, who she affectionately refers to as her "pal."

Photos: Jack Williams Through The Years

"You need a person who's going to communicate something with you that pops right through the screen that's more than what the story is," said Kulhawik. "And that's one of the things that Jack brings. He's a compelling personality. One wants to watch him. One wants to hear what he has to say."

But Kulhawik added that Williams didn't only capture the attention of the viewing audience.

She said the veteran anchor was a booming personality who frequently brought laughter to the set during commercial breaks.

"He would have the entire newsroom in stitches sometimes, just laughing our heads off. That's what I didn't expect," said Kulhawik.

Like her former colleague Dan Rea, Kulhawik said that Williams will also be most remembered for the creation of "Wednesday's Child."

The segment, which airs each Wednesday at 6 p.m., includes a special needs child who is in search of a permanent home. In the decades since it began, "Wednesday's Child" has helped more than 800 special needs children be paired with families.

Williams has also been a key force in raising more than $10 million for special needs adoption.

"He's given people families. He's given people some really tangible value in their life. He's given people their lives. That's no small thing. That comes from a very generous, hard-working, intelligent guy who just is the consummate professional," said Kulhawik.

"He walks the walk. He really does. And there are generations of kids now that have families that never would have had families if it weren't for this idea Jack had about Wednesday's Child."

Kulhawik said the dedication Williams has for his profession is what helped him find almost 40 years of success behind the anchor desk.

"Jack is the ultimate anchorman. He loves that role and he fulfills that role to a T," said Kulhawik. "I never saw anybody who enjoyed it more, who was able to think on his feet during a breaking news story. He lived for those moments."

Watch: Joyce Kulhawik's Message For Jack

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