(Toledo News Now) - With an infectious smile and laugh, it's no wonder that Chrys Peterson not only excelled at covering hard news but could just as easily transition to Galinda's bubble on the set of "Wicked." But make no mistake, Chrys is a serious newsperson.
During severe weather, a tragic accident or a local hero killed in the line of duty, Chrys has been a face Toledo has turned to for explanation over the last two decades.
When a gunman jumped the counter at a Toledo KFC and killed employee Misty Fisher during a robbery, Chrys was on duty. She jumped into action.
Another gunman opened fire while being pursued by Toledo Detective Keith Dressel seven years ago. As she's always done, Chrys put a most human face on Det. Dressel's death when introduced us to his widow Danielle.
Bluffton University's baseball team was headed to a spring trip when its bus careened off an Atlanta overpass. Despite the emotions the tragedy uncovered, Chrys anchored hours of coverage and, once again, gave voice to a victim's family when she talked with John Betts, whose son David died in the crash.
And when the Bluffton survivors eventually played their first game of the season, Chrys was there, field-anchoring our coverage.
When century-worst floodwaters submerged Findlay and Ottawa, Chrys found goodness in others and reported on perfect strangers helping each other out amidst watery destruction.
Sometimes the big stories are good stories. Toledo fended off several suitors in order to keep Jeep in town. When the new plant opened, Chrys brought us the story.
When Chrys sits down with a powerful person - as she has with Laura Bush, Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin – make no mistake, there are two strong women in the room. But it's her empathetic approach to discovering what really makes a person tick that got newsmaker after newsmaker to open up.
Among her favorite reporting experiences, Chrys counts her coverage of Pope John Paul's visit to St. Louis.
"I don't think there's anyone who attended today's mass that will ever forget that experience," she said at the time.
Chrys' title was anchor/reporter. She believes you can't do the former unless you've excelled at the latter. Chrys has excelled at covering news, and that's a fact.
