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1928 - Alderson High School - 1968 |
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My Life in Radio |
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Though working in radio enabled me to meet
celebrities, I found the personalities who chose that profession
interesting enough. I can hardly believe I remember so many names! (Move
over, Al)! There was a young man from New York named Brad Galer (or
perhaps Gaylor) who would wear a nurse's mask in flu season. We laughed
at him, but I don't think he ever caught a sniffle. And what a good name
for radio, it rolls off the tongue. Where is he now? Probably still
cold-free! There was a combo dj-engineer named Frank Temalis who looked
like Kruschchev. He was cranky about everybody and everything, and the
stingiest person I ever met (including employers). Frank would park his
car just outside town and walk the rest of the way to save putting a
penny in the parking meter. (I swear this is true)! One day we met at
the ice cream fountain in a Lewisburg pharmacy and offered to buy me a
cone of ice cream (remember how yummy those were)? When I told the girl
to give me two dips, I thought he would have a stroke! Frank asked for a
single dip himself and never offered to buy me anything else.
I do forget the name of the guy who would
open his mike and bellow HELLO, WORLD as if WRON were a network station
that reached all corners of the globe.
Bill Blake was absent a lot, especially
when Cecil Underwood ran for governor. Bill appointed his secretary
Gladys manager, a bitter disappointment to Red Mullins. But Gladys did
her best. For one thing, she paid us in cash to keep our checks from
bouncing as Bill often cleaned out the payroll account quickly. Bill got
his payback from Underwood and was made head of the state National
Guard. He eventually sold the station to a young couple from Ohio.Bill
proved to be a colorful character and good copy for the Charleston
Gazette. For instance, after a critical editorial appeared in the
Gazette about him, he had a cannon (empty, I presume) stationed
directly aligned with the newspaper's building. They found that
humorous.
And the years rolled by. Jim Venable
promised to promote me to manager, so when he introduced the son of
Lewisburg's mayor in that capacity, I was angry and hurt so I resigned
and left for Hampton Roads.
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