Chris Lawrence is an anchor at WFAA in Dallas, TX, specializing in television news.
1) Who are you? A married guy with three kids, all of them under the age of 12. Catholic, born and raised in Detroit, and still appreciate solid Midwestern values. My dad worked for the county and my mom was a public school teacher. I’d say I’m a long-suffering Lions fan, but that’s kind of redundant.
I graduated from the University of Maryland and worked at local stations in Tuscaloosa Alabama and Syracuse New York. Lived in California for 8 years and DC/Virginia for the past ten, some of which was spent covering the Pentagon for CNN. I’ve been really blessed to cover the kind of stories that opened up my view of the world.
I was one of the first to report live from New Orleans when the levees broke after Katrina and got to Haiti hours after the devastating earthquake there. I spent a lot of time working from Israel and Pakistan, and for about 10 years went back and forth to Iraq and Afghanistan. I’m pretty fortunate: I got to spend many, many months with American troops in combat, and carry those memories with me to this day.
2) What are your interests? My wife and I both work, so the kids come first when it comes to our free time. You know the drill: pick one up from swim class so the other can get to soccer on time, with our poor preschooler just along for the ride. Helping with homework while worrying I don’t understand how to do math anymore. Feeling guilty when my 6-year old screams “McDonald’s!” every time we pass one.
My wife & I are pretty good about carving out a ‘date night’ a few times a month. Our golden rule: Only 10 minutes, tops, to talk about the kids. I love to read, my Kindle gets more of a workout than my running shoes. I like getting outdoors, taking the kids for a long hike or riding our bikes. And if we can swing tickets, nothing beats going to a game: football, basketball or baseball.
3) What do you like about WFAA? The people most of all. I’ve never felt more welcome, right off the bat. Most of us spend more time at work than we do at home, so that means a lot. We’re not afraid to take chances. When your boss says “It’s ok to fail,” it gives you the green light to take big risks and try something new. And I love that we have reporters just about everywhere. This area is so big! I’m amazed at the hard work we do every day to tell stories from so many counties.
4) What are people surprised to learn about you? Well based on my lack of athletic activity lately, that I’ve actually run two marathons. I ran Honolulu & Chicago, and want to do another one here in Texas. I used to go white water rafting with my dad when I was a kid. I’ve yet to eat any enchiladas that rival my wife’s, or her mom’s. Been reading comic books since I was 5, and still love them to this day. Oh and I’m a huge film buff and love watching old movies. Ninotchka, Cool Hand Luke, Giant, and Serpico are some of my favorites. And when I tell people I was in the Navy Reserve, for some reason they assume as an officer – but nope, I enlisted at 18.
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