Former news anchor remains connected to community and creativity

GROSSE POINTES — He might have retired as the longtime news anchor at WDIV-TV on Dec. 13, but Devin Scillian, of Grosse Pointe Park, has hardly been idle since.

He’s been writing new music, finishing the draft of a play, giving talks about the role of journalism in society, writing editorials for the Detroit Free Press and performing with the band Arizona Son. Scillian and Arizona Son will return to The War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms for a concert at 7:30 p.m. July 30, for which tickets are free but reservations — which can be made online — are required.

“I don’t think I’ve had five minutes of boredom,” said Scillian, 62, of life as a retiree. “I’m having a great time. I’m finally spending time on things I used to try to fit into my life.”

A graduate of the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas in 1985, Scillian started his career at WIBW-TV in Topeka. He went on to news stations in Decatur, Illinois; Tyler, Texas; and Oklahoma City, where his coverage of the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building helped his station earn a Peabody Award. He came to Detroit in August 1995.

“What attracted me to (journalism) was writing the first draft of history,” Scillian said.

In May, the Detroit Society of Professional Journalists presented Scillian with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Scillian has also won three Edward R. Murrow awards, one of the greatest honors a broadcast journalist can receive.

“I will always believe that information is the most precious resource in the world,” Scillian said. “We have to appreciate accuracy and transparency and truthfulness.”

Being able to cover Detroit through its ups and downs, and report on significant stories from around the world — including in Beijing, Moscow and Jerusalem — were highlights for Scillian. Last summer, he covered the Olympics in Paris.

“I’m just the luckiest guy on the planet,” Scillian said.

While he could have been a foreign correspondent, Scillian opted to stay with WDIV to be able to spend more time with his wife and family.

Scillian and his wife, Corey — a talented ceramist — are the parents of four adult children: Griffin, Quinn, Madison and Christian. The couple has been together since high school in Junction City, Kansas.

Kimberly Gill, who came to WDIV in 2014 and became Scillian’s co-anchor two years later when Carmen Harlan retired, said Scillian immediately made her feel comfortable in the newsroom.

“There are so many things that make Devin special,” Gill said in an email interview. “If you’ve watched him, you know his journalistic skills are obvious but one of his most admirable qualities that not everyone gets to see is that he’s as genuine off-camera as he is on camera. He’s a titan of a news anchor and storyteller but he’s also a titan of husband, dad, brother, and son. His family means everything to him. He is just as attentive and connected to his four adult children and wife Corey as he is to his job.”

WDIV News Director Jennifer Wallace Canine, who produced stories with Scillian and worked with him for almost 30 years, said Scillian’s “curiosity and lack of judgement” are two of his finest qualities.

“It’s rare to find someone so talented, but also so humble,” Wallace Canine said in an email interview. “He could be listening to anyone from a president to someone in an entry-level position — and they would each command the same attention and respect from him. He’s a bit of a unicorn.”

She said he’s a great listener and storyteller, as well as a great friend.

“Devin is one of the best people I know,” Wallace Canine said. “He’s kind, compassionate and incredibly tolerant. He has been a sounding board and a listening ear in this newsroom for decades. I value his friendship deeply and know it has a lifetime tenure.”

Gill echoed those sentiments.

“I’ve met a lot of people in this industry who are completely different behind the scenes than they are in front of the camera — but that’s not Devin,” Gill said. “My desk is right next to his in the newsroom and I wish I had a dollar for every person who stopped for small talk with him, whether it’s about sports or politics or the weather. I mean everybody from the cleaning staff to the big boss loves Devin and wants to connect with him. I think it says something when your fans are not just the people who watch you on TV but the entire newsroom. He’s amazing and if you spend any amount of time with him you know it’s real.”

Sandy Baruah, of Grosse Pointe Park, CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, has known Scillian for more than a decade, and he can also attest to Scillian’s authenticity.

“There are many things that stand out about Devin — he truly is a renaissance man,” Baruah said in an email interview. “Two quick ones: 1) What you see is what you get with Devin. His quick wit, sense of humor, true compassion, deep intellect, and wide-ranging interests is not TV magic — it’s real. 2) Our Region has been exceptionally fortunate to have him as our ‘anchor’ as Detroit and Michigan have traversed historic times. Devin could have easily been anchoring the NBC Nightly News … but he and his family chose our community because of quality of life.”

The author of 15 children’s books — including the national bestseller, “A is for America,” and the award-winning “Memoirs of a Goldfish” — Scillian hopes to write a novel for adults, as well as a memoir.

“I’ve got several novels in various states of beginning,” Scillian said. “I would love to complete a novel.”

Music, journalism and novel-writing might seem to be diverse interests, but they’re not really that different.

“The one thing all of those things have in common is storytelling,” Scillian said. “At the heart of it, I’m a storyteller.”

Scillian — who was a theater major in college before switching to journalism — said theater has always been important to him. He said his mom started taking him to community theater rehearsals when he was a baby in a bassinet.

“I love theater and have always felt very close to it,” said Scillian, calling finishing the first draft of his play “exhilarating.”

At press time, Scillian said the play was scheduled for a table read, which could lead to some changes.

Scillian said he’s excited to be performing with Arizona Son at The War Memorial for the first time in several years. Audiences can expect to hear new material, including country spins on popular songs and new tunes he has penned since retiring. He said he and the band have been having “a great time” this summer, performing more shows and drawing big crowds.

“We’re just really looking forward to it,” Scillian said of The War Memorial concert.

The War Memorial is located at 32 Lake Shore Road in Grosse Pointe Farms. Grounds will open at 6 p.m. July 30 for the concert. For tickets or more information, visit warmemorial.org.