Donald A. Gillis (August 1, 1922 – April 23, 2008)[1][2] was a Canadian-born American sportscaster who was sports director of Boston's Channel 5 (WHDH-TV through March 18, 1972; thereafter WCVB-TV) from 1962 through 1983.
After attending Holy Family High School in that city, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater of operations.
During the 1957 season, he joined the Red Sox' broadcast team when the primary announcer, Curt Gowdy, was sidelined for the year by a back injury.
WHDH-TV expanded its late news from 15 minutes to a full half-hour to accommodate extended weather and sports segments.
This often meant that the 11 p.m. newscast featured only highlights from the early through middle innings, since the film had to be rushed from Fenway Park to the station's studios in Dorchester to be developed, edited and finally aired.
When WCVB-TV was acquired by Metromedia in 1982 for the highest price then ever paid for a local television station, Gillis was one of many stockholders who profited handsomely from the transaction.
He retired from NewsCenter 5 broadcasts a year after the sale, although his son, Gary Gillis, continued as a sportscaster and sports anchor in the market for the city's Channel 7, which assumed the WHDH-TV call-letters in 1990.