February 14, 1935  –  January 7, 2026

Basil Wilson “Bud” Lockhart Obituary

After a lengthy and valiant battle with dementia, Basil Wilson (Bud) Lockhart, veteran Corpus Christi News Broadcaster passed away on January 7, 2026, at the age of ninety.

Basil was the only son of Colonel Basil Gordon Lockhart and Ellen Wilson Lockhart of Wheeling, West Virginia, where he was born on Valentine’s Day, 1935. When he was a teenager, the family adopted his baby sister, Susan, whom Bud adored. He grew up as a cadet on the campus of Linsly Military Institute, where his father was the legendary Headmaster and Bud’s lifelong hero. After graduating from Linsly, Bud attended Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, from which he received a B A degree in English. He was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity and was elected by the faculty to membership in the National Collegiate Journalism Fraternity, Pi Delta Epsilon. He then attended the University of Colorado on a Shakespearean scholarship, performed in professional musicals at the Red Rocks Theater, and received high critical praise in the role of Biff in one of the first integrated productions of “Death of a Salesman” at the renowned historical Cleveland Karamu Playhouse.

Bud began his career in broadcasting in the Wheeling/Pittsburg area…but was soon brought to Corpus Christi in the early sixties by T Frank Smith, Jr., as anchorman for Channel 6, KRIS TV Evening News, where he garnered high ratings for his innovative “Blood and Guts News.” In the early seventies, after a stint as an account executive for Merrill Lynch in Houston, he returned to the news business, again anchoring the news at Channel 6. He remained forever grateful to T Frank Smith, Jr., for bringing him to Corpus Christi (twice) and mentoring him in his broadcasting career.

In the mid-seventies Bud signed on at KZFM:FM/ KEYS:AM radio for the morning-drive newscasts, bringing his singular news writing and delivery talent to radio. His newscasts became a tradition in the city for the next twenty-five years as he unfailingly delivered the morning news with signature Lockhart style, his audience coming to expect a daily dose of Lockhart panache and humor. In this venue, he alone, gathered, wrote, edited and delivered the news. During those years, he and the late great talk-show host James Lago and station ace engineer Ed Ocaneas teamed up with notable success, at one point achieving the highest audience share in Corpus Christi radio history.

Although Bud is best remembered for his creative wordsmanship, his priority was covering the news for his audience. During his lengthy career, he covered several hurricanes, dangerous police actions, and participated in press conferences with many notables, including four Presidents.

For fifty-three years, Bud sustained an unbroken commitment to the fellowship of Bill W., and gratitude is expressed to the Caron Foundation of Reading, Pennsylvania, for its primary role in initiating him into a new and better life and to the many Corpus Christi friends in many rooms, past and present, who know “It works if you work it!”

Those who spent any time at all with Bud will remember his extraordinary sense of humor. He was that rarity: a truly funny man, whose first instinct was humor … in almost every situation. Though he always brought laughter to others, he enjoyed the humor of others, especially that of his two long-time best friends, Judson Gould and Mark Jones. Even during his decline into dementia, Bud managed to give his doctors, nurses, and helpers a few unexpected laughs.

He was a dedicated swimmer, a voracious reader, a tennis player of some skill, and an astute film buff. His favorite hobby, however, was music where he possessed encyclopedic knowledge. One of his favorite pastimes was to “talk music” with his longtime friend, Dr. Maurice Portis, who gave him the title, “Professor of Jazz.”

Rita is deeply grateful to Leonore Quinones, Priscilla Martinez, Sylvia Ochoa, Suzette Stennet, and others for their compassionate and excellent care of Bud as he courageously withstood the unrelenting onslaught of dementia for ten years, and especially to his extraordinarily kind next-door neighbor, Ronnie Rodriguez, whose acts of kindness over many years are incalculable.

Bud is survived by his broken-hearted wife, his love of 54 years, Rita Smith Lockhart of Corpus Christi, Texas; one daughter, Linsly Donnelley, her husband Chris, and three grandchildren: Cole, Hank, and Tess of Mill Valley, California; his sister, Susan Lockhart Stobbs, and niece Cassandra Thompson (Corey) of St. Clairsville, Ohio; niece, Dr. Monica Hamburgh Rosas, MD. (Donovan, MD); two great-nieces, Madeline and Juliette Rosas of Celebration, Florida; and brother-in-law, Dr. Harvey Hamburgh of Bozeman, Montana.

He was predeceased by his parents Col. Basil G and Ellen Lockhart, sister Barbara Lockhart, brother-in-law Pete Stobbs, sister-in-law Robbye Hamburgh, and two old friends awaiting him on the other side: Robert (Bob) Payne and Jimmy Likens.

Bud’s ashes will be interred in the family plot in Laredo, Texas.