Cecilia Walters retires after 33 years with CBC Vancouver

Cecilia Walters signed off on a four decade long journalism career this morning as tributes poured in from fans and co-workers alike.

The long time voice of CBC Vancouver Radio News in the morning, Walterseven choked up a little on-air when it came time to say a final good bye something the always-composed journalist has never done before.

"It was overwhelming," she said afterwards. "I wasn't expecting that kind ofreaction."

Walters waseven trending on Twitter Thursdaymorning.

Walters has been a fixture of the most-listened to morning radio show in the Vancouver market since the 1990s.

One thing she won't miss isarriving at work each morning at 3:45 a.m. to put together the first localnewscasts of the day.

"Cecilia is an icon in local news and public broadcasting. She will be very much missed," said Johnny Michel, senior managing director of CBC British Columbia.

Walters career in at CBC Vancouver started on television whereco-anchor of the CBC Evening News with Bill Good from 1982 to 1988.

"It was a terrific experience," said Good. "Cecilia was a great reporter, a wonderful writerand an awesome mentor to young reporters and writers."

In the early '90s, Walters returned to her radio roots and began hosting B.C. Almanac on CBC Radio One.

From there, she joined The Early Edition as the morning newsreader, where she hasdelivered breaking news for the past two decades.

Walters has won numerous awards over the course of her more than 40-year-long career in journalism,including anRTDNAfor best radio newscastand aJack Webster Award for best reporting of the year.

'She is one of those rare people'

Helen Slinger, the former executive producer who hired Walters to co-host the CBC supper hour news, said Walters performedthe job "like she does everything impeccably well."

"She is an incredible journalist," Slinger said.

"She is one of those rare people who is as good a researcheras she is a reporter, as she is a writer, as she is a producer, as she is a presenter. She does all of that leading always with story, not with ego.

"I know she'll be very much missed here."

Mentor and friend

Colleagues in the CBC newsroom will miss her journalism and her mentorship but especially her friendship.

Walters made early mornings a family at CBC Vancouver, remembering to celebrate everyone's birthday usually with her famous fresh-baked quiche.

She will be so very missed.