MOLINE, Illinois – She wouldn't like it but there are several here willing to compare Chris Minor to legendary WQAD newsman Jim King.
They worked together for almost 15 years.
"He just grabbed onto her and was trying to lead her down a good path and learn the business," explained Gloria Ketz, Jim King's wife.
Gloria has been a close friend of Chris' from the start. Some might have even found a family connection.
"So many times people assumed Chris was our daughter, having Jim talk about Kris."
But Chris wasn't Kris.
"Our Kris didn't put on lipstick and do her hair. Ah, he's a guy."
And while one Kris left for Kansas City, the other Chris stayed here by choice.
"I think she probably, like Jim, had had offers," said Gloria.
"But in weighing the pros and cons of moving, I think she just got to the point that she had a connection here."
And that connection included a shared admiration.
In what was one of her most emotional stories, her remembrance of Jim King after he died, she described him in a way we now describe her.
"He earned the respect of viewers with him drive and determination to always get the big story," Chris reported in her tribute to Jim King.
But Gloria knows Chris is getting a chance to do something "Kinger" never did.
And she couldn't be happier for that rookie reporter.
"Keep in mind you're doing something that Jim was never able to do and that was to retire."
"Enjoy it. Live every day."
