On Friday, Cindy Williams will sit at the anchor desk for the very last time as she retires from News Center Maine after 32 years.

An entire generation has grown up watching Pat Callaghan and Cindy at the helm of the most-watched newscast in Maine history. The news business has changed a lot over the years, but Pat and Cindy were always there.

Nothing can compare to the way it was in the 90's and 2000's. That's when the dream team of Pat, Cindy, sports anchor Bruce Glacier and meteorologist Joe Cupo ruled six o'clock television news in Southern Maine. Back then, more Maine TVs were on channel 6 at six o c'lock than any other station. It was a different time.

But all things change and so it is with Cindy who retires from News Center as her husband Lee Nelson did earlier. He went into modeling, she's selling real estate. Kind of interesting as Cindy was Miss Mississippi in the Miss USA pageant in 1986. She almost won too, finishing as the third runner-up, just behind some woman named Halle Berry who was the first runner-up. Never heard of her.

Cindy is going to hate me for this, but I have to do it. Love the 80s hair!

reelblack via YouTube
reelblack via YouTube
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And here's the full clip:

So she lost, but the third runner-up is nothing to sneeze at and if she had won, she may not have found her way to Portland, Maine three years later to show up on our TVs.

Lots of people have been wishing Cindy well in her retirement. One of them was WGME 13's Kim Block, who also recently retired. I can tell you from my own personal experience, she and Cindy are two of the nicest women in Maine news you will ever meet.

But another big name wanted to take a moment to send his regards to Cindy as well. Patrick Dempsey was just 23 when Cindy came to Maine and already had his first leading roll in a film with Can't Buy Me Love. 

He's a busy man, but he took the time to wish Cindy well.

If there's a bit of good news about all this it's that Cindy is still staying right here in Maine. She won't be on our televisions anymore, but after being here for over 30 years, she's a Mainer now and one of us. Enjoy your retirement Cindy.

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