Longtime KFDX, KJTL cameraman retires
'I've already retired once, so this is my second retirement,' Corbitt said. 'This is official, official, especially according to my wife. I'm about ready to settle back and enjoy life with my wife and family, and my dogs. There are several things that we would like to do together, and, better do it now while I still can.'
For the last 61 years, Corbitt has worked in a handful of different fields.
'An awful lot of it has been news coverage,' Corbitt said. 'But an awful lot of it has been production, commercials, politicals.'
Corbitt's career began in the 1960s in his hometown of Wichita Falls. After a few years, he made the move to the Texas Gulf Coast, joining the team at KPRC in Houston in his early 20s.
'There was a lot of amazing things that happened to me early on because of KPRC,' Corbitt said. 'We did several ball games out of the Astrodome. The Astrodome at that time was brand new. The big new wonder of the world. Some of us wound up covering George Wallace. Some of us also ended up covering the racial problems in the South. The Vice President of the United States at that time came to Houston, and we covered that. There was a lot of history being made at that time.'
Speaking of history, KPRC provided national and international news coverage of every NASA space mission, from Gemini 4 in 1965 to the Challenger explosion in 1986, and every single Apollo mission in between.
'The first time that they actually put a crew together to go out to NASA and everything, I got left off of it,' Corbitt said. 'So I wasn't very happy about that.'
But all of that changed in 1970, when Corbitt was a part of arguably NASA's greatest moment.
'Apollo 13, NBC was the pool situation for all three networks,' Corbitt said. 'And an old-time director, Jack Dillon, for NBC, recommended that I be the lighting director on it.'
Corbitt and his fellow KPRC crewmembers headed to Los Angeles, then to Hawaii, and ultimately, Pearl Harbor. Before Apollo 13 even left Earth's atmosphere, Corbitt and his team boarded the USS Iwo Jima.
While astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Hays, and Jack Swaggart were preparing for their mission to the moon, Corbitt and the team from KPRC had a mission of their own.
'Our remote trucks for video and everything else, and a lighting truck, and all that, they were all pulled into the hangar bay. They were all parked down there,' Corbitt said. 'We had to assemble a studio in their hangar bay. That's lights, that's everything, control room, and video tape machines. Video tape machines in those days were as big as that news desk.'
It's one thing to build an entire working studio on solid ground. It's another thing entirely to build one on an aircraft carrier while being at the mercy of the South Pacific Ocean.
'On the way, we also went through three days of a typhoon, which was no fun,' Corbitt said.
The KPRC team wasn't the only crew looking adversity in the face. For days, Americans bowed their heads, hoping and praying that the three astronauts aboard the Apollo 13 would make it home safe.
Then, on April 11, 1970, the Command Module re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, going radio silent for what felt like an eternity.
'We get to the pickup zone,' Corbitt said. 'Communication wasn't like it is now, and they were saying they didn't know if they were alive or not. All of our cameras were trained on the UDT team, and everything out there opening up and all this.'
With the world watching, thanks to Corbitt and his team, an entire nation breathed a sigh of relief and rejoiced when the three astronauts emerged from the Apollo 13 Command Module.
'It was a shock to us that they were alive because they'd lost transmission on their way back, and that's the last we heard of them,' Corbitt said. 'They all come out, and we're just very happy. Extremely. Then, we had to turn around and come back.'
Even now, some 55 years later, Apollo 13 was the highlight of Corbitt's long, incredible career.
'That stands out as one of the most prominent things, you know. I was so young. That normally doesn't happen,' Corbitt said. 'I felt like I was a part of history.'
Corbitt spent the next several decades in production, film, and photography across Texas, and even beyond, before returning home to Wichita Falls.
'The reason why I came back is because, you know, family,' Corbitt said.
In 2005, Corbitt joined the KFDX family, first as a photojournalist, then moving to the studio, where he's played a number of roles on the production team. Of course, Texoma probably knows him best from his cameos on the morning show.
Things are going to be different around the studio in the mornings without Corbitt, and it goes without saying, he will certainly be missed.
'I think my time spent here has been well-spent,' Corbitt said. 'I've met some very good people, I've worked with some really great people, and I will regret not seeing some of them every day.'
'A lot of people that I've done interviews with over the years and so on, I've gotten to become very good friends with,' Corbitt said. 'And I'm going to miss seeing them, because a lot of them come in once a week or once a month.'
After a career of over 60 years, the last twenty spent here with us, from the entire KFDX, KJBO, Texoma's Fox, and Texoma's Homepage family, thank you, Steve, and congratulations on a well-deserved retirement.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Corbitt and his fellow KPRC crewmembers headed to Los Angeles, then to Hawaii, and ultimately, Pearl Harbor. Before Apollo 13 even left Earth's atmosphere, Corbitt and his team boarded the USS Iwo Jima. While astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Hays, and Jack Swaggart were preparing for their mission to the moon, Corbitt and the team from KPRC had a mission of their own. 'Our remote trucks for video and everything else, and a lighting truck, and all that, they were all pulled into the hangar bay. They were all parked down there,' Corbitt said. 'We had to assemble a studio in their hangar bay. That's lights, that's everything, control room, and video tape machines. Video tape machines in those days were as big as that news desk.' It's one thing to build an entire working studio on solid ground. It's another thing entirely to build one on an aircraft carrier while being at the mercy of the South Pacific Ocean. 'On the way, we also went through three days of a typhoon, which was no fun,' Corbitt said. The KPRC team wasn't the only crew looking adversity in the face. For days, Americans bowed their heads, hoping and praying that the three astronauts aboard the Apollo 13 would make it home safe. Then, on April 11, 1970, the Command Module re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, going radio silent for what felt like an eternity. 'We get to the pickup zone,' Corbitt said. 'Communication wasn't like it is now, and they were saying they didn't know if they were alive or not. All of our cameras were trained on the UDT team, and everything out there opening up and all this.' With the world watching, thanks to Corbitt and his team, an entire nation breathed a sigh of relief and rejoiced when the three astronauts emerged from the Apollo 13 Command Module. 'It was a shock to us that they were alive because they'd lost transmission on their way back, and that's the last we heard of them,' Corbitt said. 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This practice was outright banned during WWII on the grounds that it might give 'aid and comfort to the enemy.' Despite this, body art remained firmly on the fringes of society well into the 20th century. Tattoos in World War II After the American declaration of war on Dec. 8, 1941, Honolulu and the port of San Diego became major hubs for men, and occasionally some women, to get inked. During the war, Honolulu alone boasted eight parlors and 33 operators gaining 'the dubious title of the world's tattoo center,' according to a June 16, 1944, Highland Recorder article. In particular, 25-year-old Hawaiian native Eugene Miller of 'Miller's Tattooing Emporium' saw his business boom, tattooing over 300 people a day with prices ranging from 25 cents for small pieces to $30 for larger, more intricate art. A large sign above his modest parlor declared him the 'world's greatest and youngest tattoo artist.' Bert Grimm, known as the 'godfather of modern tattoos,' spent over two decades perfecting his craft in St. Louis, Missouri. During the war, the famed tattoo artist — who is rumored to have worked on the infamous Bonnie and Clyde — painstakingly etched symbols of love and belief of God and country onto countless sailors and soldiers waiting to go to battle. But, Grimm noted, the two often sought differing inked motifs. In 1942, Grimm told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: 'The main difference between the soldiers and sailors is that when a sailor comes in to get tattooed, it's always something with an anchor or a battleship, and the soldiers go more for flags and eagles. I've been watching their tastes and drawing new designs to suit them. Oh yes, sweetheart and love designs are going good now, too. [...] And here's a Red Cross Nurse; they lost out in popularity but they are back now. 'The war,' the article continued, 'has also been responsible for shortages of tattoo equipment. All the tattoo needles are made in England... Also, although tattoo artists usually don't mention it to servicemen patrons, most of the darkest and richest tattoo dyes came from Germany.' For servicemen willing and perhaps expecting to lose their lives, tattoos were worn as a badge of honor — giving a sense of comradery and, as Danielle Boiardi, the curator of the Lyle Tuttle Tattoo Art Collection, notes in an interview with the Smithsonian, 'a permanent mark that they could take with them.' Since then, the acceptance and proliferation of tattoos has spiked both in America and abroad, with U.S. Navy remaining the least restrictive among U.S. branches of service in terms of body art. Naval tattoo meanings, per the Naval History and Heritage Command: Anchor: Originally indicated a mariner who had crossed the Atlantic. In the present day, an anchor in one form or another may be the first nautical tattoo a young sailor acquires (often during his or her first liberty from boot camp) and is essentially an initiation rite into the naval service. Braided rope/line: Usually placed around left wrist; indicates a deck division seaman. Chinese/Asian dragon: Symbolizes luck and strength — originated in the pre–World War II Asiatic Fleet and usually indicated service in China. Much later, dragons came to symbolize WESTPAC service in general (also worn embroidered or as patches inside jumper cuffs and on cruise jackets). Compass rose or nautical star: Worn so that a sailor will always find his/her way back to port. Crossed anchors: Often placed on the web between left thumb and forefinger; indicate a boatswain's mate or boatswain (U.S. Navy rating badge). Crossed ship's cannon or guns: Signify naval vice merchant service; sometimes in combination with a U.S. Navy–specific or patriotic motif. Crosses: In many variations — worn as a sign of faith or talisman. When placed on the soles of the feet, crosses were thought to repel sharks. Dagger piercing a heart: Often combined with the motto 'Death Before Dishonor' — symbolizes the end of a relationship due to unfaithfulness. Full-rigged ship: In commemoration of rounding Cape Horn (antiquated). Golden Dragon: Indicated crossing the international dateline into the 'realm of the golden dragon' (Asia). 'Hold Fast' or 'Shipmate': Tattooed across knuckles of both hands so that the phrases can be read from left to right by someone standing opposite. Originally thought to give a seaman a firm grip on a ship's rigging. Hula girl and/or palm tree: On occasion, hula girls would be rendered in a risqué fashion; both tattoos indicated service in Hawaii. Pig and rooster: This combination — pig on top of the left foot, rooster on top of the right — was thought to prevent drowning. The superstition likely hearkens back to the age of sail, when livestock was carried onboard ships. If a ship was lost, pigs and roosters — in or on their crates — floated free. Shellback turtle: Indicates that a Sailor has crossed the equator. 'Crossing the line' is also indicated by a variety of other themes, such as fancifully rendered geo-coordinates, King Neptune, mermaids, etc. Ships' propellers (screws): A more extreme form of Sailors' body art: One large propeller is tattooed on each buttock ('twin screws') to keep the bearer afloat and propel him or her back to home and loved ones. Sombrero: Often shown worn by a girl. May have indicated service on ships home-ported in San Pedro (Terminal Island, Los Angeles) or San Diego prior to World War II, a liberty taken in Tijuana, or participation in interwar Central and South American cruises. Swallow: Each rendition originally symbolized 5,000 nautical miles underway; swallows were and still are displayed in various poses, often in combination with a U.S. Navy —specific motif or sweetheart's/spouse's name. Solve the daily Crossword
