Thomas Wassell used to tell his sons about his days as an FBI agent, years before they were born. He handled espionage cases.
Initially, they didn't believe it.
"It sounded like something out of a James Bond movie or something," said son John Wassell of Tucker.
Yet from 1951 to 1960, Mr. Wassell was a special investigator assigned to Chicago and Miami. He met Barbara, his late wife of 46 years, in Miami. After they married, he returned to the profession he loved:
Broadcasting.
In college, he had hosted college radio music programs. He paid his college tuition by working at WBRE radio in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
After the FBI stint, when he returned to broadcasting, his first post-college stop was as a producer and anchorman at WNEP-TV in Pittston, Pa. There, he spent three years, 1960 to 1963, as a Channel 16 producer and anchor. He hosted a show called "This Day 1963 with Tom Wassell."
In 1963, the Wassells moved to Atlanta. He established a name for himself as a WSB-TV anchorman. He produced and moderated Monday News Conference, a 9:30 a.m. half-hour show that featured local, national and international guests.
News makers who appeared included the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the Rev. David Abernathy, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern and others. Son John Wassell has a copy of a 1963 TV Guide advertisement that promoted the show.
It states: "What do Lester Maddox and Ralph Abernathy have in common with Hubert Humphrey, Herb Klein, George McGovern, Walter Hickel, Wilbur Mills, Winston Blount, Ramsey Clark, Averell Hammerman and Sargent Shriver?"
The answer, of course, was that they'd all appeared on WSB-TV's Monday News Conference.
Mr. Wassell was big time. How big?
"He was one of the most recognized persons in Atlanta," his son said. "It was unusual for a local show to have that many national people on there. He was a natural broadcaster. He was good at relating to people one-on-one, and that's what made him a good interviewer. He asked good questions."
And not just "gotcha" questions, said another son, Bill Wassell of Atlanta.
"He didn't let people fly," he said, "and if he thought a tough question needed to be asked, he put it to them. When he was at WSB-TV, and when he was broadcasting news in other cities, he took it very seriously and was professional about it."
On Friday, Thomas Charles "Tom" Wassell, of Tucker died from heart failure at Piedmont Hospital. He was 84. The funeral will be 11 a.m. today at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Atlanta. Bill Head Funeral Homes and Crematory, Lilburn/Tucker chapel, is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Wassell was born in Exeter, Pa., the youngest of seven siblings. His brothers and sisters are deceased. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1946, then attended King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
When his stint at WSB-TV ended in 1973, Mr. Wassell didn't move to another station. He didn't want to uproot the family, either, so they stayed put. He became the Georgia Senate information officer, a post he held 19 years. He retired in 1992.
Mr. Wassell enjoyed all his various jobs, but his son said one gig was special.
"I think he enjoyed the Monday News Conference Show," said his son, John. "That's not to say he didn't enjoy the others, but he was naturally good at that show. "
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