Robert “Robin” Whitmore, 64, of Palatine, a longtime cameraman for WGN-TV who helped rescue the father of Jimmy Tontlewicz from an icy Lake Michigan in 1994, died Sunday, June 2, of complications after knee surgery in Evanston Hospital. Born and raised in Peoria, Mr. Whitmore devoted his high school summers to the Corn Stock and Peoria Players theaters, where he performed and worked on the crew. It was at Peoria Players in his early 20s that one day he offered to hold a ladder for Patti Denny, who was painting a set. She became his wife a few years later, in 1962. He worked as a cameraman for news stations in Peoria before coming to Chicago in 1968 to work for WGN. In January 1984, he and a reporter arrived on the scene after 4-year-old Jimmy Tontlewicz fell through the ice into Lake Michigan and the boy’s father, Terrence, had jumped in to rescue him. Mr. Whitmore used a thick extension cord to hold the father above water until firefighters arrived to pull him to safety. Divers retrieved the boy, who was legally dead after being submerged for 20 minutes but later recovered. Mr. Whitmore received a local Emmy Award for his camerawork on the story. Colleagues knew him as a consummate craftsman, adept as a technician and artist, a master at lighting and composition, and a passionate journalist. He collected antique cameras and microphones. Known to sing show tunes while driving to assignments, he traveled annually to London to attend plays. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Timothy and Tod; a daughter, Melinda; two sisters, Mariana Williams and Martha Morrison; a brother, Scott; and two grandchildren. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday in First United Methodist Church of Palatine, 123 N. Plum Grove Rd. Services will follow at 11 a.m.
