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After 39 Years, Bruce Hagevik Retires From WCCO

GALLERY: Bruce Hagevik's 39 Years With WCCO Radio

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Bruce Hagevik never expected to become a news reporter -- just a radio announcer.

At the age of 15 Bruce became a disc jockey at the local station in his hometown of Ortonville, Minnesota. Several years later -- after obtaining his BA in psychology at Moorhead State University -- Bruce ended up at a radio station in Faribault where he did fill-in announcer work and other odd duties.

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Then one day the news director and another employee got into a scuffle and the news director was fired. Bruce was enlisted on the spot as a replacement. And a long, distinguished career as a radio journalist was launched.

He came to WCCO Radio in 1973, when Richard Nixon was president, Wendell Anderson was governor and newsrooms were equipped with reel-to-reel tape recorders, electric typewriters and White-Out.

He wrote news copy for the great voices of WCCO Radio: Howard Viken, Dick Chapman, Jurgen Nash and Ray Christensen. He also covered major stories of the day and soon established himself as one of the great reporters in the business.

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He has covered some of the biggest stories of the past 39 years, from the Jacob Wetterling kidnapping to last summer's shutdown of the state government. Now in retirement, Bruce plans to divide his time between Minnesota and Miami Beach, where he and his wife have a condo.

Gov. Mark Dayton marked the occasion by proclaiming March 14, 2012 "Bruce Hagevik Day" in Minnesota.

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Wish Bruce a happy retirement -- click on the comments section below to send on your memories and well wishes.

WCCO's Bruce Hagevik Does His Last Newscast On WCCO Radio

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WCCO's John Hines Interviews Bruce On His Last Day

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