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KPIX's Ben Williams, One Of Nation's 1st African-American Reporters, Dead At 85

OAKLAND (CBS 5) -- Ben Williams, a retired KPIX-TV staffer who was one of the first African-American television reporters in the nation, has died at the age of 85.

Williams passed away on Monday, his daughter-in-law told CBS 5.

Williams spent his entire broadcast career at KPIX before retiring in the 1980s; he got his start as a reporter at the San Francisco Examiner before moving to television.

Williams worked with other notable KPIX alums including Belva Davis and Barbara Rodgers and current KPIX reporters Wendy Tokuda and Kate Kelly.

Funeral services for Williams will be held on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at St. Benedict's Church in Oakland.

(Copyright 2012 CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved.)

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