In Memory

Thanks to Pete Simonson for the suggestion of remembering our radio friends who have passed on.  We'll include our own articles as well as obituaries. 

1974 Johnny G  3-15-04 WLOF-AM 950's first Johnny G  (Johnny Gilbert) died while working as an airborne traffic reporter at KULF-AM 790 in Houston. Johnny was killed when the "KULF bird" crashed while covering a fire on March 15, 1974. Johnny was attempting to get a close-up look at a chemical tank car fire at the Settegast Railroad yard. Witnesses said he was just a few hundred feet above the fire when the violent updraft threw his plane out of control and at that extremely low altitude, he didn't have the room or time to regain control. The plane rolled over on its back and spiraled into the ground. Johnny was posthumously awarded the Steve Pieringer Award by the Texas Association of Broadcasters in 1974.

1976 John Patrick Beacom Founder of Beacom Broadcasting Enterprises and original owner of WJPB-AM 1220 in Kissimmee, John Patrick Beacom died at the age of 72 on January 3, 1976. Beacom also served as Member of West Virginia state house of delegates from Cabell County, in 1933, was also a member of West Virginia state senate 5th District from 1935-38 and then as Mayor of Port St. Lucie County.

1987  Bill Hess Floyd William ''Bill'' Hess original owner of WEUS-AM 1240, Eustis died at age 70.

Bob Keith October 28, 1987  Obituary from the Orlando Sentinel Bob Keith, a former Orlando city commissioner and radio and television personality, died Monday, October 26, 1987 after a seven-year battle with cancer. He was 59. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Keith was a disc jockey and hosted a rock 'n' roll show on WLOF-AM (950). ''All the kids loved it,'' said city clerk Grace Chewning. ''That was what we listened to in high school. 'In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Keith took the show to television with the Channel 9 Bandstand. ''He was real tall and thin and had this real resonant voice,'' Chewning said. ''He was our own Dick Clark.'' ''He was part of the glory days -- the rock 'n' roll days,'' said Bud Brewer, who worked with Keith at WLOQ-FM 103.1 in the late 1970s. In 1974, Keith was elected city commissioner for District 3 in the non- partisan election. He campaigned on a promise of independence from Mayor Carl Langford, and friends said he worked hard to stick to it. ''His disposition was to try to get along with everybody,'' said Todd Persons, who covered the city council for WCPX-Channel 6. ''But he really did try hard to be his own man.''  Arthur ''Pappy'' Kennedy, who served on the council from 1972 to 1980, said Keith was an outspoken commissioner. Yet he also remained open to ideas and was ''concerned about seeing things go smoothly,'' Kennedy said. Keith lost a re-election bid in 1978 and ran an unsuccessful race for the Orange County Commission in 1982. He retired from politics and became a real estate agent. He was in the public eye again last year as a central figure in the trial of restaurateur Champ Williams on charges of bribing public officials. Keith said that when he was on the city council he had favored Williams on an important vote. Keith was in Williams' office, he said, when Williams told him he appreciated his help and stuck a roll of cash in the commissioner's pocket. Keith said he returned the money, told Williams he was insulted and left. However, state prosecutors also charged that Williams made illegal campaign contributions to Keith and other politicians by passing on his money through others. Keith said he didn't know that the money came from Williams, and no charges were filed against him. The state's charges against Williams were later thrown out for lack of evidence. Keith, 3213 Eagle Blvd., was born in Sanford and moved to Orlando from Minneapolis in 1937. He was a Coast Guard veteran and a member of First Baptist Church of Orlando, where services are scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday.

1988 Jim Mitchell  GENE FORREST ''JIM'' MITCHELL, 52, 1600 Bigtree Road, Daytona Beach, died Friday, December 23, 1988. Born in Hope, Ark., he moved to Daytona Beach from Orlando in 1986. He was a broadcasting news director for WROD-AM 1340 radio and a stock market analyst. He was a Baptist. He was an Air Force veteran of the Korean War. He was a recipient of the Katie Award for best spot news coverage in TV and of the best editorial award from the UPI Broadcasting Association. Survivors: wife, Linda K.; son, Dennis, Dallas; stepsons, Hayes and Randy Henderson, both of Orlando; daughter, Misti Pickett, Tyler, Texas; mother, Elvia R., Casselberry; brother, Edward Byron, Garland, Texas; sister, Fran Wilson, Casselberry; five grandchildren.

1989 Dick Norman Killed In Crash    Former Orlando radio talk-show host Dick Norman, who survived 20 years as a wire service reporter in Latin America,  was killed in a traffic accident as he pulled out of a convenience store parking lot, authorities said. Dick Nutting, who went by the name Dick Norman on the air, was pronounced dead at the scene after a pickup truck struck his car broadside at 10:20 a.m. Thursday, January 24, 1984, said Hillsborough County Deputy Sheriff Louis Argote. Nutting, 46, worked for WKIS-AM 740 from February 1984 until November 1986. He was the station's afternoon talk show host and at one point was the station's operations manager, said Ken Charles, executive producer at WWNZ-AM 740. He most recently was working for WFLA-AM 970 in Tampa. Nutting was pulling into traffic in a 1989 Chrysler from a Circle K parking lot when a 1986 Ford Bronco driven by Tommy Ledford, 30, struck the car on the driver's side, Argote said. The sheriff's department was investigating the accident, but no charges had been filed Thursday. Nutting won two Emmy awards and an Overseas Press Club award during his 23 years in journalism, said WFLA news anchor Don Richards in Tampa. ''Dick was straightforward. You always knew where he stood,'' Charles said. ''He was a very talented talk show host. He had a good feel for what people were looking for. He had a very quick wit.''

Howard Miller In 1978, Miller Broadcasting purchased WMMB-AM 1240. Miller Broadcasting was owned by Chicago radio personality Howard Miller. Miller also owned WRRR-AM 1150, Rockford, IL, WFXW-AM 1480, Geneva, IL and WGGG-AM 1230,Gainesville. Known as "Uncle Moo Moo" in Chicago radio, he was the #1 Morning Personality from 1947-1968 in Chicago, on WIND. In the 1950's, Howard was also on the CBS following Arthur Godfrey's program. Howard was sponsored by Wrigley's Gum and he would interview the "stars" of the day. When he left WIND, over an on-air controversy, he was pulling in 58% of the morning audience. Howard was a conservative (Republican) talk show host, the controversy involved Howard's defense of the Chicago Police Department during the politically charged summer of 1968. Howard died on Nov. 6,1994.

1990 Joe Brechner Orlando Sentinel February 27, 1990 By Charlie Jean Of The Sentinel Staff Joseph L. Brechner, a philanthropist and leader of Central Florida's civic, cultural and communications communities, died Monday, February 24, 1990. Brechner, 75, of Winter Park, a founder and former principal owner of WFTV-Channel 9, died in Florida Hospital of complications after major heart surgery two weeks ago. He was a patron of the arts, author, racial relations peacemaker and battler for an unfettered press. He was a leader in the campaign to admit cameras into courtrooms around the state and donated $1 million to the University of Florida's School of Journalism and Communications for a Freedom of Information Center. ''For more than 30 years Joe was involved in every phase of Orlando life,'' said a close friend and former employee, Reggie Moffat. ''He had a unique ability to get things done, to bypass animosity and get to the heart of problems.'' ''Joe was a unique guy,'' Orlando businessman Jerry Chicone said. ''He was active in a lot of diverse activities. . . . He  probably will be remembered not only for his cultural contributions but for his work in keeping harmony between the faiths and the races.'' He was president and general manager of the Mid-Florida Television Corp., which was created to establish Channel 9. The  station was sold in 1984. The son of immigrants, Brechner was born in Fall River, Mass., and in 1934 begin editing and publishing a weekly shopper  newspaper in Detroit. He founded his first radio station in Silver Spring, Md., in 1946 - his springboard to a career in radio, television, promotions and advertising. His Orlando career began in 1953 when he acquired part ownership of radio station WLOF(-AM 950). In 1958, he founded Channel 9 and began his career in television. At various times, he also owned radio and television stations in Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In the 1950s, as racial unrest tormented the country, Brechner moved to head it off in Orlando. He went to Mayor Bob Carr and warned: ''Not only is the situation in the black community unfair and dishonest, it is going to  explode in our faces unless we do something about it . . . and soon.'' Carr heeded his words and in 1956 formed the city's first Human Relations Committee, which worked to improve interracial relations. ''Joe was one of Orlando's first clear voices of civil rights,'' Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick said. ''He was tireless. He was caring. ''Much of what this community was able to achieve in the early days of the civil rights movement was the result of Joe's efforts.'' Brechner was a leader in the fight to bring junior colleges to Florida. A columnist for The Sentinel Star, now The Orlando Sentinel, from 1970 to 1977, he led a fight in the 1960s to head off special interest efforts to restrict media coverage of the courts. He was a driving force behind and former president of the Central Florida Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Brechner and his television and radio stations won numerous awards. He had served as president of the Orlando Area Advertising Club, district governor of the Advertising Federation of America,  president of the Orlando Players Little Theater, member of the board of governors of the ABC-TV Affiliates Association,  national commissioner of the Anti-Defamation League, B'nai B'rith, chairman of the freedom of information committee of the Florida Association of Broadcasters and chairman of the Central Florida Civic Theater Building Campaign Committee. Brechner is survived by his wife, Marion; a son, Berl, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.; brothers, Daniel, Silver Spring, and Sydney, Bellingham, Wash.; sisters, Gertrude Cohen and Edith Klinger, both of Los Angeles, and two grandchildren. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Yank Frank Memorial Chapel at the Temple Israel Cemetery on Old Winter Garden Road. The Beth Shalom Memorial Chapel in Orlando is in charge of arrangements.

Carl Glicken Carl Glicken, regional sales manager for WESH-Channel 2 television whose broadcast career spanned more than 30 years, died Wednesday September 10, 1990. He was 60. Glicken's career in the broadcast industry began with WALT-AM 1110 radio in Tampa. He was later a salesman for WYLD-AM 940 radio in New Orleans and then was named assistant manager at WFUN-AM 790 radio in Miami. He was national sales manager at WCIN-AM 1480 in Cincinnati, before returning to Tampa to serve as general manager at WDAE-AM 620 radio. He later joined Southern Broadcasting, working as manager of WKIX-AM 850 radio in Raleigh, N.C. In 1972, Glicken came to Orlando, where he was named president and general manager of Home Security Broadcasting, which owned WLOF-AM 950 and WLOQ-FM 103.1 radio. In 1980, Glicken joined WESH TV 2 in Orlando. Glicken was active in trade and civic organizations. He was a past president of the Orlando Area Advertising Federation, a member of the board of directors of the Florida Association of Broadcasters, and chairman of the board of trustees for Crime Watch. A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Altamonte Springs. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to a scholarship fund established in Glicken's name. Donations should be addressed to the Carl Glicken Broadcast Scholarship Fund, Orlando Area Advertising Federation, P.O. Box 1614, Orlando, 32802.

1991 Helen Peikin   Helen Peikin Finke, a feisty senior citizens advocate known to thousands in Central Florida through her newspaper, television and radio commentaries, died Monday, April 8, 1991. She was 76. Immaculately groomed and always wearing a hat, the diminutive Philadelphia native wrote ''Speakin' with Peikin,'' an advice column for seniors in the The Orlando Sentinel in the 1970s and early 1980s. Her radio and television shows began in 1961 and aired periodically for 25 years. ''Some called her feisty - she was 90 pounds of dynamite,'' said her husband, Rene Finke. In 1978, Peikin was elected to represent 90,000 senior citizens of Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties as a senator in the Silver-Haired Legislature, a mock legislative session in Tallahassee focusing on senior issues. Peikin walked out on the first day of the session in protest of the conditions of the lodging provided by Florida State University. When her replacement, Leo Ware, blasted Peikin for the walkout, she responded in her usual hard-boiled manner, ''I don't give a damn what anybody else thinks.'' Peikin annually hosted Senior Season kickoff at the Atlantis Theater at Sea World, drawing crowds of more than 4,000 seniors. ''She was the leading advocate for the aged in this area,'' said Charles Unkovic, professor of sociology at the University of Central Florida, which gave her the Golden Rule Award. ''She knew all the important people. She would think nothing of picking up the phone and calling the governor'' to help a senior citizen who had a problem.

1992 Joe Gratz Ex-radio executive, Joe Gratz, dies at 76 The Tampa Tribune - Friday, June 19, 1992 Author: A Tribune Staff Report Joe Gratz, a former radio station manager in Tampa, died Sunday while on vacation in Hamburg, Germany. He was 76. Gratz was a New York City native, but had lived in Tampa for more than 26 years, after retiring from radio and television broadcasting. Gratz graduated from Harvard in 1936 and became an apprentice in the sound effects department at CBS radio. He later was in charge of popular music programs at the network. Gratz was in the U.S. Army from 1942 until 1966, then became an assistant director at CBS television. He moved to Tampa in 1965 and managed radio station WYOU-AM 1550 until 1971. The station later changed its format to all-Spanish programming. After leaving WYOU, he bought radio station WELE-AM  in Daytona Beach and WELE-FM 105.9 in Deland and retired from the business in 1975.

Wilfrid C. Meloon, 74, 748 Jasmine Ave., Orange City, died Monday, Aug. 10, 1992.  Mr. Meloon was a Baptist minister. Born in Ossipee, NH, he moved to Central Florida in 1924. He was a Baptist and author of several Christian books. He was a former announcer for WVCF-AM 1480 Christian Radio in Windermere, and worked as a recording engineer for Christian Duplications Inc. International for several years.

RADIO PERSONALITY HAPPY ISON DIES  ORLANDO SENTINEL  Nov 3, 1992 Happy Ison ,a country music radio personality in Orlando throughout the 1950s and 1960s, died Sunday following a lengthy illness. He was 68. Stephen Wesley Ison was born in Cincinnati and moved to Central Florida in 1952. He was Happy Ison to his radio audience and most of his friends ''because that's the way he was,'' said his wife, Pamela. ''Everybody was his friend. He never disliked anybody.'' son's friends included an impressive list of country music recording stars, and he enjoyed trips to Nashville for country music festivals. After leaving radio, Ison was publicity director for the Orlando Seminole Jai Alai Fronton and later the Super Seminole Greyhound Park. Ison lived at 3010 Vine St., Orlando. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. In addition to his wife, Ison is survived by two sons, Stephen III, Orlando, and Vernon, California; two daughters, Deborah and Sharon, both of Orlando; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Jon Alexander     Orlando Sentinel Dec 10, 1992 Jon Carroll Alexander 41, 620 Lucas Place, Merritt Island, died Tuesday, Dec. 8,1992 of cancer.  Mr. Alexander was the producer of a radio talk show for WWNZ -FM 104.1 in Orlando. Born in Maryville, Tenn., he moved to Central Florida in 1982. He was a member of Merritt Island Lodge 353 F&AM, Orlando Scottish Rite Consistory and Azan Shrine Temple, Melbourne. Survivors: parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Alexander Jr., Merritt Island; sister, Elizabeth Phillips, Indialantic. Wylie-Baxley Merritt Island Funeral Home, Merritt Island. Orlando Sentinel  Dec 12, 1992  Catherine Hinman of The Sentinel Staff Talk radio fans were stunned Tuesday to learn that Jon Alexander, producer and sidekick of The Philips Phile on  WWNZ-AM 740 and WWNZ-FM 104.1, had died of cancer at his parents' home in Merritt Island. The fun-loving, easy-going personality and close friend of talk show host Jim Philips was 41. Not until 5:50 p.m. Tuesday, when Philips came on the air to announce Alexander's death, did the show's listeners know why Alexander had not been on the air for a month. Operations director Allen Wilkerson said Alexander left the station because of his illness but he did not want it made public because he did not want pity. Alexander had been with WWNZ for about five years, and in the past two years he had become a regular voice on Philips' show. ''Whenever Jim needed a conscience, Jon's mike was opened up so he could be the devil's advocate,'' said Dean Chapman, who reports traffic for WWNZ. After his friend's death, Philips took three days off. In paying tribute to Alexander on Tuesday, Philips played one of his friend's favorite songs: Van Morrison's ''So Quiet in Here.''

G. Max Kimbrel Tampa Tribune  December 29, 1992  G. MAX KIMBREL, 75, of Lake Wales died Sunday at home. A native of Albion, Ill., he is a former resident of Haines City and had lived in Lake Wales 40 years. He founded radio station WIPC-AM 1280 in 1951 and retired as district manager of Storer Cable Television of Florida. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Navy, and member of Grace Lutheran Church in Winter Haven and Lake Wales Rotary Club. He is survived by his wife, Joan; five daughters, Karla Allen of Brandon, Jeri of Tallahassee, Gail of Harrison, Ark., Judy Kennedy of West Plains, Mo., and Tanya Southwood of Chicago; eight grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Johnson Funeral Home, Lake Wales.

1993 Gene Smith Eugene F. ''Gene'' Smith-General Manager-WLBE-AM 790-1970s, early 1980s, and again in the early 1990s died of cancer in August 1993.

1994 Raymond Howard Kremer   Raymond Howard Kremer a Mount Dora radio producer who participated in the famous Orson Wells broadcast of War of the Worlds that panicked the nation in 1938, died Friday, April 3, 1994 after a long illness. He was 84. Kremer, who had lived in Lake County since 1972, had a long career as a pioneer in radio . He wrote, produced and did special effects for Mercury Theater, Popeye and Gangbusters, among other radio shows. He also worked in television advertising. He was a sound effects man during CBS' tense radio dramatization of H.G. Wells' story about the invasion of earth by Martians. Although an announcement was made at the start of the broadcast that it was only a radio program, it was so realistic - complete with news bulletins and on-the-spot reports - many believed it actually was happening. It was heard by about 6 million people and has come to be regarded as the ultimate prank. The radio network was deluged by hysterical callers. Kremer also was credited with using the first instant replays during college football games in 1951. He was working with NBC in advertising, and the network televised the NCAA game of the week. Kremer came up with the idea of taking cameras to the second best game and recording highlights. At the time, all the telecasts of major sporting events were shown live. This was the first use of video recording equipment for sports. A native of Danforth, Ill., he served two terms as mayor of Plandome Heights, N.Y., from 1968 to 1972. He moved to Mount Dora , where he worked for the National Association of Farm Broadcasters until retiring in 1982. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Mount Dora, the Eustis Elks, the Rotary and the Mount Dora Yacht Club. He attended Northwestern University. Survivors include: wife, Eleanor; sons, Ron, Longwood, Richard, Pleasanton, GA; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Julian Stenstrom THE ORLANDO SENTINEL - May 28, 1994 Author: By Gary Taylor of The Sentinel Staff Julian Lovejoy Stenstrom, who witnessed much of Sanford's sports history as he reported it through newspaper and radio, died Friday, May 27, 1994 of heart failure. Stenstrom, 74, 2200 Cordova Drive, was born in Sanford and was a descendant of one of the city's pioneer families. At 16, Stenstrom was a sportswriter for the Sanford Herald and worked there until his National Guard unit was activated in 1940. After the war, he was the first sports director for WTRR-AM 1400 radio in Sanford. Stenstrom also worked as the Sanford Herald newspaper sports editor and earned a bachelor's degree from Stetson University. Stenstrom served as executive secretary of the Florida Baptist Foundation before being reactivated for the Korean War. He was instrumental in bringing the Southern Baptist Convention to California in 1952 and for 14 years was executive secretary of the California Baptist Foundation. Stenstrom served three terms on the Sanford City Commission.

1995 Dick Bennick  February 19, 1995 Horror show host "Dr. Paul Bearer' dies St. Petersburg Times - February 19, 1995 Author: DEBORAH CIRCELLI: The Ledger Ernest R. "Dick'' Bennick, known as Dr. Paul Bearer to horror movie fans in the Tampa Bay area, died Saturday morning after open heart surgery at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. He was 66. For 22 years, Mr. Bennick, who lived in Winter Haven, was the ghoulish host of WTOG-TV Ch. 44's Saturday noon horror show. His corny puns and raspy voice still were being heard after his death Saturday on a pre-taped showing of Graveyard Shift. It was his last appearance. Though the station had taped shows through April 1 of ""Dr. Paul Bearer Presents,'' they will not be run at the family's request, a WTOG news release said. "We are all saddened at the passing of Dick Bennick,'' said Ed Aiken, general manager of WTOG in a statement Saturday.  "Those of us who knew Dick will miss his humor and good spirit,'' Aiken said. Mr. Bennick, who first developed the Dr. Paul Bearer act in High Point, N.C., in the 1960s, was famous for his undertaker  appearance complete with a black hearse, which he rode in parades throughout the bay area. But his trademark was his puns, including his sign off: ""I'll be lurking for you.'' Mr. Bennick, who worked in broadcasting for 40 years, was a former general manager of WGTO-AM radio in Winter Haven. He retired from radio in March 1994 as regional sales manager of WEZY-FM 94.1  and WLKF-AM 1430 in Lakeland. Aiken said Bearer was an institution on the station and the longest-running host of horror movies in the country. Patty Bennick, who had been married to Mr. Bennick for eight years before their divorce in 1993, said he died after having  open heart surgery Friday. She said the surgery was to redo a bypass that was done 14 years ago. "He was my best friend for nine years,'' said Patty Bennick, who had moved back in with Mr. Bennick and had been working on a reconciliation. Mr. Bennick was a three-time past president of the Imperial Polk Advertising Federation, which twice named him Ad Man of the  year. He was the executive director of the Imperial Polk Advertising Federation and state chairman of the Addy Awards for the Fourth District American Advertising Federation. "He made an outstanding contribution to the advertising industry and to the community,'' said Art Rowbotham, president of Hall Communications. ""He would always appear in character whenever called upon to do so. He was quite a celebrity.'' Mr. Bennick, who collected monster movie magazines, was drawn to the entertainment industry at age 5 when he saw his first magician. When he turned 18, he joined an illusion show and traveled the country as a magician's assistant. Funeral arrangements were incomplete Saturday. Mr. Bennick is survived by his mother Margaret Bennick, 93, of Winston-Salem, N.C.; daughter Melody DeSanctis, Atlanta; son  Ernest ""Rick'' Bennick II, San Francisco; three stepdaughters, Pam Wetherington, Atlanta; Laura Tuggle, Gainesville and Cindy Tuggle, Winter Haven; and four grandchildren.

Morning Man Perry Moore Passes  Perry Moore, a radio funny man who woke up more Central Floridians than any other disc jockey throughout the 1970s and early '80s, has died. He was 50. Moore died Friday, September 12,1995 of heart failure. Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at the Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home on Lake Ivanhoe. Burial is at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Winter Park. Moore was Orlando's top-rated morning disc jockey for most of the 1970s and '80s on WDBO-AM 580. He left the station in 1984 after 14 years. After a short break, he went to work at other Orlando-area stations, both on the air and in sales, but he never again attained the same success. ''Perry was the morning man,'' said Tom Kensington, his former boss at WDBO and now manager of film and television development at Disney-MGM Studios. Said Ron Hill, who worked as WDBO's morning news anchor opposite Moore for about a year, ''He was a good morning guy who would wake you up and make you smile.''  For a time, Moore headed a lineup at the station that included Jim Turner, Clive Thomas and Morton Downey Jr. ''He was funny. He was very quick-witted,'' said Bud Brewer, former on-air personality at WDBO, as well as WWNZ-AM 740 and WLOQ-FM 103.1 and now head of marketing at Massey Services Inc. Friends and family said Monday they remembered Moore as a community activist and sports enthusiast. He served as president of the University of Central Florida Gridiron Club and the Tangerine Sports Association, predecessor of the Florida Citrus Sports Association. Moore is survived by his wife, Jackie, of Orlando, daughter Rachel Finklea of San Diego and son Tom Finklea of Encinitas, Calif.

1996 Bill Thompson  7-23-96 Bill Thompson , longtime reporter for WDBO-AM 580, died Tuesday of heart failure. He was 60. Bill retired from WDBO in 1995  after suffering a heart attack on the job Aug. 31. News staff members who performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Thompson likely saved his life that day. WDBO news director Marsha Taylor said Thompson was admitted to Florida Hospital with heart problems earlier in July of '96. He came to Orlando from Miami more than 20 years ago and was a disc jockey for many years at WBJW-FM 105.1. In 1984, he joined WDBO and covered Orlando City Hall for many years. People knew him as ''the commander,'' Taylor said, because ''he took charge.'' In 1993, Thompson won the radio reporter of the year award from the Florida Associated Press. ''Everything he did was beautifully produced,'' Taylor said. Thompson, who lived in Winter Park, is survived by his wife, Alfreda, and his father and a sister in Louisiana.

Bill Miller  11-8-96 MILLER, WILLIAM R. ""BILL,'' 74, of Inverness, died Friday, Nov. 8, 1996 at Citrus Memorial Hospital. He came here several years ago from his native Orlando, and was an electronics engineer for WRZN-720 AM, Hernando, and an Army veteran of World War II. He was a member of the Crystal River Users Group, VFW Post 4337, and a Methodist. Survivors include his wife, Sarah "Maxine''; a son, Gary, Fort Meade, Md.; a daughter, Debbie Tarrasky, Bellingham, Mass.; his mother, Zaidee Miller, Inverness; an d two grandchildren.

1997 Larry Bessler   8-26-97 THE ORLANDO SENTINEL - August 26, 1997 LARRY BESSLER , 47, Highland Avenue, Winter Garden, died Monday, Aug. 25. Mr. Bessler was a radio announcer and program and production director. Born in St. Louis, he moved to Central Florida in 1954. Survivors: sisters, Bonnie Litteral, Winter Garden, Joan Crutcher, West Melbourne, Cheri Fleming, Gatlinburg, Tenn. Beacon's National Cremation Society, Winter Park. Larry worked at WKIS-AM 740 as well as WMMB-AM 1240.

1998 Ted Eiland  2-4-98 BREVARD ACTOR THEODORE EILAND DIES    Florida Today, Friday, February 6, 1998  By Laura J. Brown FLORIDA TODAY   COCOA BEACH -Theodore A. "Ted" Eiland, a retired television executive, died Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Wuesthoff Hospital in Rockledge. He was 81. Mr. Eiland grew up in Logan, W.Va. After graduating from the University of West Virginia with a journalism degree, he served in the Navy as a lieutenant during World War II. Mr. Eiland began his career in broadcasting in Charleston, W.Va. "Capt. John Kennedy was a speaker at his graduation and was very impressed with Ted. He owned a radio station in Charleston and asked Ted to come and work for him," said his wife of 51 years, Lillian Eiland of Cocoa Beach. In 1970, Mr. Eiland moved to Brevard to own and operate WKKO(-AM 860) radio station in Cocoa. He retired from broadcasting in 1975, and became a lecturer in communications at Western Carolina University. The Eilands returned to Cocoa Beach in 1978. Throughout his life, Mr. Eiland maintained an active interest in the theater. He appeared in numerous plays in Melbourne and Cocoa Beach and traveled with the one-man show "Clarence Darrow". Matt Roush, a former Today critic, was quoted as saying, "'Clarence Darrow' is a provocative, stirring entertainment delivered with great style and energy by one of Brevard's best actors."  Mr. Eiland also wrote the play "The Most Dangerous Woman," which won a national award and was performed in New York City. The play also was aired on PBS. "He was a very talented, compassionate man with a sense of humor and a great deal of integrity along with that," his wife said. Other survivors include his sons, Howard Eiland of Sharon, MA, Stuart Eiland or Winchester, VA, Robert Eiland of Northborough, MA, and Richard Eiland of Orlando; and seven grandchildren. No calling hours are scheduled. Services are at 11:30 a.m. today at Surfside Playhouse in Cocoa Beach. Burial will be in West Virginia. Beckman-Williamson Funeral Home in Cocoa Beach is in charge of arrangements. Donations may be made to Surfside Players, P.O. Box 320053, Cocoa Beach, FL 32921; or to Wuesthoff Brevard Hospice, c/o Wuesthoff Health Systems Foundation, P.O. Box 565002, Rockledge, FL 32956-5002.

George Mizelle  10-22-98  George E. Mizelle, 70, of Mango Tree Drive, former owner and announcer for WSBB-AM 1230 in New Smyrna Beach, died Thursday October 22, 1998, at home. Mr. Mizelle, an Army veteran, was born in Roanoke Rapids, N.C., and came here in 1982 from Abington, Va. He was a member of the Elks Lodge, American Association of Retired Persons and Mental Health Association. He also was a radio announcer for 30 years for WMEV, Marion, Va. Survivors include his wife, Deborah. Baldwin-Hughey, New Smyrna Beach, is in charge.

1999 Harry E. Bierly THE ORLANDO SENTINEL - January 6, 1999 Author: Martin E. Comas of The Sentinel Staff During the late 1960s, Sanford residents could tune their radio dials to 1400 AM and hear the smooth voice of Harry E. Bierly Jr. - a retired Navy lieutenant who spun popular music for the small radio station. The former disc jockey and retired Seminole County deputy sheriff died Sunday of complications from surgery. He was 71. ``He just loved entertaining people,'' said daughter Robin Bauder. Known as Hank to family and friends, Bierly was born in Atlantic City, N.J. When the United States became embroiled in World War II, Bierly joined the Navy and served on an aircraft carrier in the  Pacific. He eventually worked at the Navy base in Mayport and later in Sanford. After retiring from the military in 1966, Bierly took a job as chief engineer and disc jockey for WTRR-AM 1400 in Sanford. Using the moniker Harry Elwood, he also announced basketball games for the Seminole Community College Raiders. ``But after a while, he felt he had done all he could at the radio station and felt it was time to move on to better things,'' Bauder said. Bierly left the station in the early 1970s to pursue a degree in law enforcement at Seminole Community College. He graduated in 1975 and was soon hired as a crime prevention officer for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office. He retired in 1987. ``He was always busy. He was always looking for a way to enrich his life,'' said Frances Bradshaw, a daughter. Bierly was a Mason and a member of the Good Sam's of Lake Monroe. Survivors also include son, Harry Bierly III, Winter Springs; sister, Deanna Castle, Maryland; and four grandchildren.

George Utter This obituary appeared in the Daytona Beach News Journal on April 14, 1999. DAYTONA BEACH  George "Harold" Utter, 59, of Guava Drive, owner of Beacon Engineering, died Sunday at home. Mr. Utter, an Army veteran of the Radio Corps, came to this area in 1944 from his native Jacksonville. He also worked as a radio station engineer for stations WGNE(-FM 98.1), WPUL(-AM 1590), WYND(-AM 1310) and WXVQ(-AM 1490). He was a member of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and N.A.B.E.R. He enjoyed amateur radio operating. Survivors include his wife of 19 years, Kathryn, two sons, Ronald and Robert, both of Daytona Beach; a daughter, Susan Tuten, Orange City; and six grandchildren. Volusia County Cremation Society is in charge.

Frank Lasko LASKO BROUGHT LAUGHTER TO `SCOOTER & CO.' SHOW THE ORLANDO SENTINEL - August 20, 1999  Author: Jim Abbott of The Sentinel Staff In a broadcasting career that spanned three decades, newsman Frank Lasko developed a style that always involved listeners. ``He was one of the most unique news people I ever heard,'' said Bill Fries, former program director at oldies station 105.9 FM (WOCL). ``He was like your next-door neighbor.'' Lasko, whose radio ``neighborhood'' was WOCL's popular Scooter & Co. morning show, died of liver cancer shortly before 3 a.m. Thursday at his Orlando home. He was 54. Lasko was a morning-show fixture from 1988 until this past April, when the show was disbanded as part of a format change. Lasko then was hired as an associate producer at Central Florida News 13, a 24-hour cable news station owned by Time Warner Communications and The Orlando Sentinel. In July, Lasko was hospitalized with liver cancer, which doctors soon realized was inoperable. Lasko came home Wednesday, said his father, Frank Sr. After his mother, Ruth, died in 1996, the radio announcer had shared his home with his father. Lasko also is survived by brothers Jim and Ron, both of Twin Lakes, Wis. Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home, Conway Chapel is handling arrangements. Born in Chicago in 1944, Lasko moved to Central Florida from Miami in 1984. He was an Air Force veteran and a member of First Congregational Church in Winter Park. His colleagues at WOCL remember his knack for plant-care, making coffee and working notoriously bad puns into news stories. ``I could come in crabby and he could make me laugh,'' said Jack Dyer, who played the character Elvis Gorbechev. ``A lot of the laughter at the radio station was from Frank.''

2000 Harry D. Cup (Michael Christian) The Tampa Tribune - January 15, 2000 Polk City actor gone, but voice still speaks Michael Christian, a 63-year-old voice actor known as Harry Cup, died Jan. 6 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center of complications from heart disease. But his voice is far from silent. It is Christian's voice that cautions passengers on the tram at Tampa International Airport to stand clear of the doors and  hold the handrail. And it will be heard on radio and television commercials across the country.  "They had a joke in the industry: "When you want the voice of God, call Harry,' " said Christian's widow, Barbara, 58, of Polk City. The son of Hungarian immigrants, Christian, not his birth name, grew up in Elyria, Ohio, a small town outside Cleveland, she said. He began working in radio while he was in high school. He won a football scholarship to Purdue University, but he quit college to help support his family when his father died, she said. Through the years, he worked as a talk show host at radio stations across the country, including Philadelphia, Orlando, Winter Haven and Pinellas Park. He even had a hit country song in the early 1970s called "Green Grows the Valley," Barbara Christian said. Back then, he was known as Mike Adams. In 1974, Christian was host of a talk show in Winter Haven when he met Barbara, a champion swimmer, at Cypress Gardens. "He was walking around with a stupid duck," she said, "and he kept harassing me, telling me the duck could swim faster." They were married three weeks later. "It's like he had this aura," she said. "People were just attracted to him." The couple eventually opened a horse ranch for handicapped children in Polk City after they saw how much horseback riding helped their daughter, Reed, who is mentally disabled. Christian adopted his wife's daughter after they married. Physicians had offered no hope for Reed when she was born, said Barbara Christian, a special education teacher. But with help from her parents, Reed, who is now 36, has became a certified riding instructor and has a license to drive. Animals, as well as people, were attracted to his kind disposition, she said. And he loved to make others laugh. "He believed that humor was a forgotten art," she said. For the past couple of years, his heart had given him trouble, she said. In 1998, he had quadruple bypass surgery. In December, he was admitted to the hospital for congestive heart failure. But he was home with his family by Christmas. On Dec. 26, he took his daughter to the Bucs game even though he had trouble walking, Barbara Christian said. He didn't want to disappoint Reed, who had worn a Bucs jersey for the entire week before the game. Father and daughter happily watched the Bucs beat Green Bay. Within a week, Christian was back in the hospital, this time for a heart catheterization. On the afternoon of Jan. 5, he opened his eyes for the last time and mouthed the words, "I love you," to his wife. His wife and friends held a memorial service this week at Crisp-Coon Funeral Home, Winter Haven. They listened to "Amazing Grace" and "What A Friend We Have in Jesus," sung by who else?

William Masi Newark Star-Ledger February 20, 2000 A Mass for William Masi, 94, of Longwood, Fla., a former New Jersey resident, will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Our Lady of Sorrows Church, South Orange, following the funeral from the Joseph W. Preston Funeral Home, 153 South Orange Ave., South Orange. Mr. Masi, who died Wednesday February 16, 2000 in the South Seminole Hospital, Longwood, retired as the superintendent of the Brick Church branch of the U.S. Post Office, East Orange, 39 years ago after working there for 36 years. He also owned the Bill Masi Radio Network, South Orange, NJ and Longwood, FL., and WHBI, Newark, WBGC, Chipley, Fla., WVCF-AM 1480, Ocoee, Fla., and WWJZ-AM 1400, Sanford, Fla. He was a member of the Moose Lodge 766, Orlando, Fla., and a Cavaliere Knight, an honor he received from the Republic of Italy in 1967. Born in New York City, he lived in South Orange for 50 years before moving to Florida 20 years ago. Surviving are his wife, Mertice E.; a grandchild and a great- grandchild.

Ercelle Smith    The Tampa Tribune  April 22, 2000 PLANT CITY - Albert Ercelle Smith, a local radio station owner and Florida Strawberry Festival board member, dies. Civic activist, Florida Strawberry Festival board member, local radio station owner and on-air personality, Albert Ercelle Smith died Tuesday, April 18, 2000. Smith, a 68-year-old native of Plant City, passed away at his home, said one of his daughters, Debbie Heaton. "Dad had been extremely ill for years," Heaton said. "But he was able to be in his home and to be in his yard that day." Smith, 68, is survived by his wife, Doris; his son, Clay, also of Plant City; two daughters, Heaton of Plant City and Janice Holloway of Lakeland; a sister, Vonelle Miles of Plant City; 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Along with Al Berry, Smith owned and operated WPLA(-AM 910), Plant City's only radio station. "But I think it was more of a brotherly bond than a business bond," said Berry, also a member of the Florida Strawberry Festival Association's board of directors. Smith started working at WPLA in the late 1960s, according to Heaton. Smith's father, William, founded the station in the early 1950s "with the intent of a gospel station, to spread God's word," Heaton said. In later years, the station added country music to its format and a popular local talk show called "This n' That," according to Berry. The show ran between 8 and 10 a.m. on weekdays for almost 20 years in the 1970s and '80s, Berry said. Heaton recalled the show had a very casual, informal tone, well-set for a small agricultural community. "People called in and they shared their thoughts," Heaton said. "They traded and sold things on the air." Often, Smith would use the show as a pulpit to let residents know when a neighbor was in need and what they could do to help, Berry said. "He was always there if somebody got burned out of their home or something like that," Berry said. "He spent a lot of time helping people and he did it with a lot of vigor. He was very intense about what he did." Smith and Berry sold the station in 1987. The new owners changed its call letters and relocated the station to Tampa. In 1988, Smith joined the Florida Strawberry Festival Association as an associate director, said Patsy Brooks, general manager for the annual festival. Five years later, Smith became a member of the Florida Strawberry Festival's board of directors, Brooks said. "He worked on the steer show committee and he was chairman of the "Organic Olympics,' the rooster crowing and the milking contests," Brooks said. While hosting the "Organic Olympics," a cow chip throwing contest at the festival, Smith liked to inject his own brand of humor as errant chips occasionally flew into the audience. Smith even provided the chips from his farm in Wesley Chapel. In addition to his work at the radio station and the strawberry festival, Smith was an elder at the Plant City Church of Christ at 315 N. Wilder Road. In 1992, he was named Plant City's Citizen of the Year, an award given to one citizen in recognition for contributions to the community. Other winners include the late City Commissioner Sadye Martin, and Smith's on-air partner, Berry. "He did an awful lot of good for this community and he is going to be missed," Doris Smith said.

"Rocking Ron" Maher  7-5-2000 The familiar golden voice that graced the airwaves of almost every radio station in the Melbourne area was silenced this week with the passing of "Rocking Ron" Maher. He died Wednesday, July 5, 2000 at home. He was 49. Mr. Maher came to Brevard County in the early 80s from Cedar Knolls, N.J. He was a graduate of the RCA Institute in New York City. He began his radio career in New Jersey. He worked for GTO-860 in Cocoa. Then he worked for WMEL(-AM 920) on Turtle Mound Road, GOLD 95, and WMMB(-AM 1240) in Melbourne, where he hosted an oldies show. "He was the king of rock 'n' roll trivia," said his friend and co-worker, Nina Gold. His most recent position was as engineer, advertising copywriter and on-air personality for WTAI(-FM 107.1) and WTMS, which later became WA1A. He also was the early morning voice on the Nina Gold Show called "The Golden Hour". "I never saw anyone who could improvise as well as he did," Gold said. He entered his 35th year of broadcasting this season and was an active member of the theatre community. He appeared in several roles in the production of "The Boys Next Door," "Curious Savage," "Dearly Departed" and "Call Me Madam." He won numerous awards for radio acting and writing. He also was the 1992 FMPTA "Crystal Reel" award winner for best supporting actor in a locally produced motion picture. For the past three years, he has been partners with Allison McKay and Mavis Ray in "McKay's Masquers", a nonprofit children's theater, which tries to bring knowledge of theater and film history to young actors in Brevard County. The group began their summer camp this week. Mr. Maher was a member of the Famous Lambs Club and the Harbor City Harmonizers. Survivors include his sister, Diane Smith of Cedar Knolls, and niece, Deena Joan Smith of Cedar Knolls. No local calling hours are scheduled. A memorial service will be Aug. 28 at the Henegar Center for the Arts in Melbourne. Palm Bay Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Donations may be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central Florida, 880 N. Orange Ave., Suite 200, Orlando, FL 32801.

Dick Sheetz   October 9, 2000 Dick Sheetz joined WDIZ-FM 100.3 as program director in March of 1996. Dick came to Orlando from Portland, Oregon's classic rock station KGON-FM 92.3. It wasn't long before Paxson Broadcasting purchased WDIZ as well as WJRR-FM 101.1 and moved Dick Sheetz to program WJRR. In 1998 Dick, was nominated as Program Director of the Year in the mainstream rock category by Billboard/Airplay Monitor Magazine. On weekends, he co-hosted a diving show called "Scuba Radio" on  WQTM-AM 540, as well as serving as Program Director. Sheetz earned industry attention for creating "Judgment Day", a WJRR show in which listeners rated new music. He was a guitar player and singer.   In March of 2000, Dick took time off to recover from surgery. Clear Channel, owners of the station, would not comment on the nature of his illness. On Monday,  October 9, 2000 Dick lost his battle with a rare form of intestinal cancer. He was 47.  Dick was native of Salem, Oregon. He left behind his wife, Julie and daughter, Natasha.

Edna "Mickie" Reck   October 30, 2000  The Orlando Sentinel Edna "Mickie" E. Reck, 78, Horseshoe Falls Drive, Ormond Beach, died Monday, Oct. 30. Mrs. Reck was former assistant manager of WTRR-AM 1400 radio station, Sanford. Born in LaGrange, Ga., she moved to Central Florida in 1953. She was a member of Tomoka United Methodist Church, Ormond Beach. Survivors: daughter, Barbara Ellefson, Thomson, Ill.; son, William A., Canton, N.C.; two grandchildren; five great-grandchildren.

2001 Morton Downey Jr. Morton Downey Jr., songwriter and actor-turned-growling and opinionated TV talk show host who shocked viewers from behind a haze of cigarette smoke during the late 1980s, died Monday, March 12, 2001of lung cancer and other respiratory problems in Los Angeles. He was 68. Downey was born Sean Morton Downey Jr., the son of popular singer Morton Downey and his dancer-wife, Barbara Bennett. Downey attended military school and earned a marketing degree and a law degree. He pursued a number of professions including businessman, author, radio host, singer and songwriter. In the late 1980s he became a household name with "The Morton Downey Jr. Show" from 1987 until 1989.

Elmer White Elmer White, Station manager and show host at Bartow's WBAR-AM 1460 died in 2001.

"Hap" Leatherwood  Granville Grover "Hap" Leatherwood, 85, who was elected mayor of Beverly Beach in 1974, died at home. Mr. Leatherwood, a Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War, was born in Granger, Texas. He moved to Central Florida in 1960 from Jacksonville. Mr. Leatherwood, who enlisted in 1934, served aboard various battleships and destroyers in the Pacific Theater, was awarded seven battle stars, and retired as a chief signalman. He later worked for the Sunglow Pier, and gave early morning fishing broadcast reports on radio stations WNDB-AM 1150 and WROD-AM 1340.

Walter "Jack" Kaufman Jr., 65  Orlando Sentinel  August 11, 2001 MR. KAUFMAN, Oak Park Way, Orlando, died Saturday, July 28. He was a safety consultant. He also was the former owner of WGTW(-AM 1580) radio station in Leesburg. Born in Donora, Pa., he moved to Central Florida in 1976. He was a member of Winter Park Breakfast Club, American Society of Safety Engineers, National Safety Council and the National Fire Protection Association. He was an Army veteran. Survivors: son, Keith, Nashville, Tenn.; companion, JoAnn Parks, Orlando; stepdaughter, Sherri Inger, Orlando; four grandchildren. Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home-Conway Chapel, Orlando.

September 21, 2001  Gregory Donald Wells Fort  Lauderdale, FL Gregory Donald Wells, 48, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., passed away Saturday, September 15, 2001, at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A private memorial service will be held by the family at a later date. Gregory, born at St. Joseph Hospital in Elmira, N.Y. on February 17, 1953, was a former radio personality in North Carolina and Florida, a graduate of Grimsley High School, and a member of West Market Street United Methodist Church. He is survived by his parents, Shirley and Gordon Wells; brother Gary Wells; and nephew Patrich Wells, all of Greensboro. He is also survived by many Aunts, Uncles and cousins in several states from New York and Florida. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Gregory's name to Holy Cross Hospital, Cardiology Unit, 4725 North Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33308; or Hospice Care of Southeast Florida, Inc., 309 S.E. 18 Street, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 33316; or West Market Street United Methodist Church, 302 West Market St., Greensboro, NC 27402.

2002 James Sandridge JAMES R. SANDRIDGE WAS SINGER, DISC JOCKEY, CIRCUS RINGMASTER THE ORLANDO SENTINEL - June 14, 2002 Author: Amy L. Edwards, Sentinel Staff Writer James Ralph Sandridge, 54, loved to entertain. He was a disc jockey for three Central Florida radio stations, a ringmaster for Circus World and an emcee for Boardwalk and Baseball. "He was an entertainer all his life," said his sister, Gail Ward of Orlando. Sandridge, an Orlando resident for more than 30 years, died Wednesday of melanoma. Sandridge's career began in the Army, where he worked at a communications base in Ethiopia. Returning to Orlando in 1968, he worked as a disc jockey for WLOF-AM 950, WHOO-AM 990 and WTRR-AM 1400. "He was a great singer, and great with the microphone," Ward said. "What made him so great was that he could perform so well when things went wrong. "Things could go wrong, and no one would even know." His ability to communicate well, Ward said, is what made him a great ringmaster and emcee at the now-defunct Circus World and Boardwalk and Baseball theme parks. Ward said Sandridge was a loving uncle, and once even asked all the clowns at Circus World to take a picture with his 4-year-old niece. "He gave lots of support, love and attention to our kids," she said. "He was the good uncle, the kind everyone should have."

Esther White    7-16-02 Leesburg Daily Commercial Esther M. White, 84, of Leesburg died Tuesday, July 16, 2002. Born in South Hill, Va., she moved to Leesburg from Norfolk, Va., in 1950. She retired in 1994 as an office manager with WLBE-AM 790, after 44 years of service. She was a member of Main Street Baptist Church. She was a charter member of the Lakes BPW Club of Leesburg, and a member of the Leesburg Heritage Society. Survivors include her son, Jim White of Jacksonville; daughter, Kathy Smith of Center Hill; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Beyers Funeral Home, Leesburg.

Richard "Dick" Shiflett Jr.   10-28-02 The Tampa Tribune As a child, friends said that Richard "Dick" Shiflett Jr. was born with a microphone in his mouth. It was that talent that made him perfect for a job as a radio announcer, a position that made him and his voice recognizable in the Plant City area. On Monday, October 28, 2002, the radio voice was silenced. Shiflett, 54, died after a battle with cancer. His wife, Ann Shiflett, remembered her husband as a man who was loved by his family and the community. When doctors told him he had cancer in June, his first thoughts were of his family. His son and daughter-in-law, Christopher and Angela, were expecting twins. "I can't die now, I have twins on the way," Ann remembered him saying. The twins were born in July. He was a dedicated husband and father who served as PTA president for every school his children attended, she said. He also coached the sports teams his son played on. "He stayed busy," Ann Shiflett said. Friends this week said Dick Shiflett's contributions to Plant City will not be forgotten. "He was a friend and boss," said Kevin MacKenzie, who replaced Shiflett as general manager and morning drive announcer at the Southern gospel music station WTWB-AM 1570 in Auburndale. "He was a good Christian man. He had a love for people.' As an announcer, Shiflett did a job that was his calling, said Mayor Mike Sparkman, a longtime friend. "He was just a real down-to-earth person," Sparkman said. At WTWB, he became known as the sportscaster for the Auburndale football team where he was known as "The Voice of the Bloodhounds." He started his career at now defunct WPLA-AM 910  in Plant City, where he worked for 24 years. He came to the station after graduating from Plant City High School. Al Berry, who was one of the owners of that station, described Shiflett as a man who wore many hats. "He did just about everything there was at the station ," Berry said. "He was conscientious and a hard worker. "I had a lot of respect for Dick," he said. "He was very dependable." While at WPLA he did play-by-play for the Plant City Raiders basketball and football teams. He also was an announcer for the Florida Strawberry Festival parades. Shiflett was a member of the Plant City Civitan Club, past president of the Plant City Raiders Booster program, a member of  the East Hillsborough Historical Society, and an announcer for Pioneer Day events. Shiflett was also an insurance salesman. Shiflett's funeral was held Thursday at First Baptist Church of Plant City, where more than 400 attended. About the same number attended the wake on Wednesday evening. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Ann, his son, Christopher, a daughter, Angela, and numerous other relatives.

2003 Vance Tyler Daytona Beach News Journal  August 1, 2003 Vance Leite Tyler, of North Atlantic Avenue, a radio personality on WNDB-AM 1150 morning talk show and a broadcaster with WVYB-FM 103.3, died Tuesday July 29, 2003 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at home, according to police reports. He was 52. Tyler formerly owned and operated the American Career Institute, a broadcasting school affiliated with WNDB that trained students for a career in radio. He later became a member of the "Dave & Company" morning show on WNDB-AM radio. On-air personalities Dave Laing and Shannon Pierce said Tyler's legacy will live on through his students, as he helped launch hundreds of broadcasting careers. Another of Tyler's peers, Black Crow (Broadcasting) operations manager and  WHOG-FM 95.7  on-air personality Frank Scott, said, "Vance was highly respected in the broadcasting industry. His work ethic and dedication to the industry was second to none. More importantly, he was genuinely a great person and a friend to everyone who had the privilege of knowing him." Tyler moved to this area in 1973 from his birthplace, Jacksonville. He was an avid Miami Dolphins fan and enjoyed the beach. Survivors include a daughter, Amanda Collins, Winter Park, and two grandchildren. Ormond Funeral Home is in charge.

Richard Bouchard   Col. Richard Bouchard-In 1976, Richard became the backup traffic pilot on WDBO-AM 580. He was hired full-time three years later and continued until 1993. He was also a traffic reporter for WFTV channel 9 for nine years. Bouchard died Friday December 26, 2003. He was 72. Colonel Bouchard was called "one of the pioneers as an air-traffic reporter in the Central Florida area," by Ben Aycrigg, former news anchor of WDBO TV 6 (now WKMG). Richard and his wife met through the radio station when she won breakfast in a contest. He offered to let her fly with him, and she went. It was on a Valentine's Day. Richard Bouchard Obituary  The Orlando Sentinel   RICHARD M. BOUCHARD, 72, WAS EYE IN THE SKY FOR BUSTLING MOTORISTS From the skies over metro Orlando, Richard M. Bouchard reported on traffic conditions to harried motorists for years. He signed off each broadcast as "Colonel Richard Bouchard." Bouchard died Friday. He was 72. Bouchard was "one of the pioneers as an air-traffic reporter in the Central Florida area," said Ben Aycrigg, former news director of what is now WKMG-Channel 6. "He's a real loss to us. You hate to see these old-timers, who have been such familiar voices, passing from the scene." Bouchard joined the Air Force in 1951 when he was home on vacation from Texas A&M University. He started his career as a mechanic and then went to pilot training. Over the course of his career, Bouchard flew the F-89 fighter, B-47 jet bomber, the high-flying U-2 reconnaissance plane and the RF-4 Phantom, in which he conducted photo-reconnaissance missions over North and South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. His decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak-leaf cluster. "He dearly loved to fly," said his wife, Elaine Bouchard. "His buddy was joining the Air Force and invited him to come. The ironic thing is he [Richard] made a career out of it, and the other fellow didn't make it in." Bouchard retired from the Air Force in 1973 after nearly 23 years with the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1976, Bouchard became the backup pilot reporting on traffic for WDBO-AM radio. He accepted the job of full-time  traffic reporter three years later and continued doing that until his retirement in 1993. He also reported on traffic for WFTV-Channel 9 for nine years. Family was very important to Bouchard, his wife said. He met her through the radio station when she won a breakfast in a contest. He offered to let her fly with him, and she took him up on the offer. "I went flying with him and found we had a lot in common, and one thing led to another and here we are," she said. "You know what? It was on Valentine's Day." Bouchard was a member of First Baptist Church of Orlando, where he taught Sunday school, sang in the choir and participated in drama presentations. He also is survived by a son, Robert Bouchard of Los Angeles; three daughters, Bonne Summers of Shreveport, La., Kristina Bouchard and Rebecca Bouchard of Orlando; and two grandsons. Woodlawn Funeral Home, Gotha, is handling arrangements.

8/30/2003 Daily Commercial-Leesburg Roger Manning Cleary, 81, of Tavares, died Wednesday, August 27, 2003 in Tavares, Fla. Roger was born in Manistee, Michigan on October 26, 1921 to Leo and Gertrude Cleary. He is survived by his wife, Helen Cleary of Tavares; his son, Stephen David Cleary of Palatine, Ill., and his wife, Sue, and their three daughters, Andrea, Vanessa and Alexus; a daughter, Susan Beyer, husband Ernie, of Novato, Calif. and Heather and Mario Bynum and two-great-grandchildren. Roger had college degrees from the University of Michigan and a Graduate degree from Indiana University. He enlisted in the Aviation Cadets of the U.S. Army Air Corps and served from 1942 to 1946 in the States, England, and Germany and served in the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, analyzing the effects of Pinpoint Bombing on the German Machine Tool Industry. Back in the States, he worked for several Motion Picture companies, including his own, Roger Cleary Productions. He did TV work for Inside Michigan Magazine, and wrote and co-produced the "Life in Detroit" TV series for Life Magazine. He worked with most of the domestic automotive manufacturers at one time or another, and was the Hollywood, Calif. Account Executive for the Western 15 States on the Chrysler Corporation Account for Leo Burnett Co. from 1958 to 1968. Roger worked with ABC TV, NBC TV and retired from the Consumer Publications Division of CBS in 1984. He worked part-time at WLBE-AM 790 . Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, September 2, 2003 at 10:30 AM at St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Memorials can be directed to Hospice of Lake County. As a final note, Roger sends his love and joy of living to all those whose lives have touched his and his family's and wishes them total goodness and God's ultimate blessings in their lives. PEACE. Beyers Funeral Home, Leesburg.

2004 Bill Leisner 1-7-2004   Bill Leisner the President and General Manager of WJLU-FM 89.7, New Smyrna Beach, died on January 7, 2004.

Chester E. "Chet" Pike  10-13-2004 After a career in radio and TV Chet became a restaurant owner. Chet opened Gauchos in Cocoa Beach. An authentic Cuban-Spanish restaurant in Brevard County. His grandfather was Spanish and Pike lived for many years in south Florida where he became familiar with Cuban cooking. Many of the recipes used are family favorites or recipes collected during Pike's travels in South and Central America. One of these is for Puchero, an Argentine beef stew, which Pike says is one of the main dishes of the gauchos (South American cowboys). Chet passed away on October 13, 2004 from heart failure at age 72.

Ben Taylor  Daytona Beach News-Journal  Former WESH host, Ben Taylor, 82  November 13, 2004 On a CBS affiliate in Richmond, Va., young Ben Taylor introduced many of the music stars of the day - Arthur Godfrey, Patti Page and country music legend Hank Williams. That job back in 1947 started him on a lifetime career in radio, television and motion pictures. Taylor, a longtime Daytona Beach resident who appeared on area television stations and as a radio personality, died Nov. 6 at Baptist Hospital in Miami. He was 82. Taylor, a native of Roanoke, Va., had a lifelong love affair with Florida and migrated here in the early 1950s to work in broadcasting, said his son, Roderick, a California screen-writer and former resident as well. His father claimed the title of being the first disc jockey on the CBS network then. Here, he worked with radio stations WNDB-AM 1150, WMFJ-AM 1450, WROD-AM 1340 and WQUX, which he helped found. For many years, he appeared on WESH-TV, hosting and producing several programs, including "Outdoors with Ben Taylor." His work in conservation earned him the Governor's Conservation Award. In addition to working in broadcasting, Taylor also appeared as an actor in several films and televisions series, including "Route 66" as well as a feature film about the Cuban expatriate movement. "Over the years, with his rich and distinctive voice, he narrated ads for numerous national advertisers, the state and national government, including the U.S. Army and Voice of America," said his son. Taylor was a former sergeant in the Marine Corps. Moving to Miami in the 1980s, Taylor enjoyed dancing and singing with his rich baritone, said Roderick Taylor, of Sherman Oaks.

Keith Altiero Keith joined the WDBO-AM 580 news team in 1999. Born in New York and raised in the coal-mining town of Shenandoah, Pa., Altiero wanted to be the best at whatever he did. At age 12 he fought Hodgkin's disease and was part of a pioneering study to find a cure, his brother Kerry Altiero of Owls Head, Maine, said. At 16, Keith Altiero flew a plane solo. He decided later to become a race-car driver and participated in closed-circuit road racing with Sports Car Club of America, even going to the national championship. He trained and raced continually and then moved to Central Florida to get back into radio. In 2001 he won five awards for his work from the Florida Associated Press and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for his political reporting. Altiero died Sunday, December 19, 2004 after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 51.

2005 Orlando Radio Pioneer John Rutledge Passes  1-29-05 Mr. John Thomas Rutledge, Ocala, died on January 29, 2005 . See our John Rutledge Tribute

Gordon Lund  2-21-05 Obituary Form The Daytona News JournalORMOND BEACH-Gordon C. Lund, 71, of North Yonge Street, who owned and operated WAPN 91.5 FM, a Christian radio station in Holly Hill, since 1985 with his wife of 51 years Earlyne, died Monday at Halifax Medical Center, Daytona Beach.  Mr. Lund, an Army veteran of the Korean War, was born in Montevideo, Minn., and moved here in 1983. He was a member of Calvary Christian Church and enjoyed traveling, car auctions, football and playing free cell and solitaire. Additional survivors include a son, Mark, Sebastian; three daughters, Shellye Vallance, Holly Hill, Penny Piccirillo, Ormond Beach, and Pam Storm, Merritt Island; a brother, Paul, Hillsboro, Ore.; 12 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to WAPN 91.5 FM, 1508 State Ave., Holly Hill, FL 32117.

Bill Burgess Passes   Bill Burgess long time sales manager of  WFIV-AM 1080 in Kissimmee during the 1960s and 70s has died. Bill was Born in Johnson City, Tennessee. Bill took WHHL-AM 1190 from country to oldies and brought the oldies to Sanford's WTRR-AM 1400. Bill was an Air Force Veteran, and an avid fisherman.

Steven Delay Passes 5-12-05 Rama Communications Chief Engineer Steven Delay passed away Wednesday, May 11th in Richmond, Virginia. He was 52 years old. Mr. Delay was in Richmond helping rebuild an AM station in the market. He suffered a heart attack after finishing up and loading a truck. He is survived by his wife, Eve and 4 children. He's also survived by several grandchildren and step children. Steve was a great engineer and an even better human being. He treated you with the respect you deserved. Everyone at Rama Communications extends their deepest condolences to The Delay Family. Rama Communications is the licensee of WOKB-AM 1600 and WLAA-AM 1680 Winter Garden,  WKIQ-AM 1240 Eustis,  WQBQ-AM 1410 Leesburg,  WNTF-AM 1580 Bithlo,  WTIR-AM 1300 Cocoa Beach,  WFVR Wellborn, GA and  WOKB-LP (TV) Orlando. Paul Walker, Jr.  Pays Tribute To His Mentor  4-28-08 3 years ago, May 11th, 2005 one of the nicest, kindest radio people I'd ever met passed away. Steve Delay was the Chief Engineer for Rama Communications, Incorporated in Orlando-Cocoa, Florida. He oversaw the  "mess" that was  WTIR-AM 1300, WNTF-AM 1580, WOKB-AM 1600, WLAA-AM 1680, WQBQ-AM 1410, WKIQ-AM 1240 and WRFV-AM 910, Valdosta, GA. He was one of the best engineers I've ever known. He was also a wonderful friend and co-worker. I started work at WTIR-AM 1300 in March 2005 and was awakened one day about 3 months later by a call from someone in our Orlando office that Steve had passed away from a heart attack the night before.  I almost immediately started crying and dropped the phone. I picked it up, told the person I had to go, collect my thoughts and make a few phone calls. I called my consultant and good friend, Ira Littman to tell him what had happened. Ira and Steve had been friends for years. In fact, it was Ira who helped me get that job at WTIR. Ira was as shaken as I was. I immediately then called Steve's wife, Eve to see if there was ANYTHING I could do. She was, understandably, hysterical and in tears. Steve knew SO many people, had many friends and touched so many people's lives. He was one of the NICEST guys you'd ever meet and very, very hard working. He didn't settle for anything less then the best. I was 22 years old and still yearning for information and learning as I went along. He ALWAYS answered my questions about how something worked or why something was broken. If I genuinely wanted to know, he was more then glad to share his knowledge with me. He was extremely easy going and easy to get along with. if I made a mistake, he didn't dwell or harp on it. He just told me what I did wrong, told me not to do it again and we moved on. As a friend and as a co-worker, I still miss him to this day. I don't know what else to say about him that I haven't already said. We're thinking of you, Steve.

Bill Gephart Passes   6-2-05 Bill Gephart, who began his radio career in the 1970's at WACY-AM 1220, Kissimmee and later worked as the News Director for WLBE-AM 790, Leesburg before moving to WDBO-AM 580, Orlando for more than 10 years, passed away on June 2, 2005. Bill had been ill lately, and his health declined in recent months after the death of his mother in October 2004. He was 52 years old. Grissom Funeral Home, Kissimmee is handling the services. Visitation is Sunday June 5, between 3:00pm and 4:00pm with the service at 4:00pm Grissom Funeral Home 803 Emmett St. Kissimmee, FL 34741 (407) 847-3131

Wayne Trout  Passes Jun 2005 Wayne Trout a fixture of Central Florida radio for over 30 years has died in his sleep on Friday, according to WTKS-FM 104.1's Jim Philips. Wayne was 56 years old. Details will follow as they become available. Jim Philips notes "...Many men and more women will mourn his passing."  Read Wayne Trout's Memorial Service;  A Personal Reminisce by Pat Flannagan.

Charlie Liles  Jun 2005 FLORIDA TODAY (Melbourne, FL)-June 23, 2005 Author: Staff, BRITT KENNERLY          TITUSVILLE -- Friends and family have vivid memories of a former Titusville mayor well known for his community service and remembered for his booming voice. Charlie Liles, 72, who served two terms as a council member in the mid-1970s and was elected in 1978 to one term as mayor, died Tuesday at his home in Daytona Beach. His daughter, Donna Hendricks of Huntsville, Ala., described her father as a "special kind of guy." "If it was something he really wanted done and he felt strongly about it, you knew it," she said. "You always knew where he stood -- he was going to push, and he got a lot done." Many credit Liles as instrumental in the campaign to restore the Veterans Memorial Pier and with upgrading State Road 50 to four lanes during his service with the city. But for local sports fans, Liles was also known as "The Voice of High School Football and Basketball," working as an announcer for WRMF-AM 1050 and WAMT-AM 1060 radio stations. The master of ceremonies for the Titusville Junior Miss Pageant for 14 years, he continued work as a disc jockey for dances and special events after moving to Daytona Beach eight years ago. "He was a great gentleman, very much a family man and very active in church and with the United Men's Fellowship," said George Mosakowski, who met Liles as a member of Indian River City United Methodist Church. "And he was a terrific disc jockey." John Peterson, water resources manager for the city, agreed.  "He had a very good broadcast voice. I remember listening to some of his play-by-play -- that's my best memory of him," he said. "It was a long time ago, but working with him was always a very good experience." Liles was born Dec. 24, 1932, in Selma, N.C., and raised and educated in Tampa. In the early 1960s, he and his family  moved to Titusville, where one of Liles' three children, a son, Chuck Liles, still lives. Another son, David Liles, lives in Live Oak. Liles would be happy to see the progress on the pier in a city he loved, said his daughter. "When I was growing up, my dad would get so upset when the weekend would come and my friends and I would go to Merritt Island to go shopping," Hendricks said. "He'd say, 'Why, when Titusville has everything, do you go to Merritt Island?' His family upbringing was community - oriented - my grandfather was a Boy Scout executive. My father just really liked people."

Jack Wilson Passes 7-18-05 Jack Wilson, 75, of Leesburg passed away Thursday, July 14th. Jack was a barber and a sports announcer for Leesburg High School for 40 years. M.J. McNair, general manager of WLBE-AM 790 that broadcast Wilson’s coverage, said Wilson was the "driving force" for the program. “When I first started hearing him, he had a good voice and delivery,” McNair said. “He was a homegrown, homespun broadcaster. That made him good for Lake County. He kept Leesburg sports at the top of his priorities." When Leesburg High School’s football stadium was condemned, Wilson joined with other local businessmen, known as the "Silly Six" in helping to raise money to construct a new stadium at Leesburg High School. Jack served two terms on the Leesburg City Commission and as mayor in 1970.

George J. Duck   8-12-05 Palatka Daily News George Julius Duck, 82, of Palatka, died Friday, August 12, 2005, at the Roberts Hospice Care Center in Palatka following a brief illness. He was born in Columbus, Ga., and had formerly lived in St. Augustine. He had been a resident of Palatka for the past 65 years, coming from Quincy. He was a 1941 graduate of the Putnam High School in Palatka. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. He served as Public Safety Director for Putnam County for 27 years, retiring in 1988. He had a  lifelong interest in radio. Forty years ago he worked at the former WWPF(-AM 1260) Radio in Palatka (now WIYD) as an engineer and disc jockey. He later helped to establish the former WSUZ(-AM 800) in Palatka, which is now WPLK and he worked there as an engineer and radio personality for many years up until this May when health problems forced his retirement. He was the host of the "Swap Shop" on WPLK for many years. He was a member of the Bert Hodge Post No. 45 of the American Legion in Palatka and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post No. 3349 in Palatka. Besides his work he also enjoyed ham radios, playing the guitar, fishing and computers. He is featured in the article, "Don't You Know There's A War On?" in the current edition of the Welcome Magazine.

Ernie Legge 12-8-05 Ernie Legge died Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005, at William Childs Hospice House, Palm Bay, Fla.  He was born May 28, 1927, in Chicago and moved with his family to Melbourne, Fla., in 1936. He was a 1945 graduate of Melbourne High School. He served briefly with the Navy before attending the University of Florida from 1946-47. He was a graduate from broadcasting school in California before returning to Melbourne and working at WMMB-AM 1240. In the early 1950s, he was a radio and television broadcaster in Orlando, Florida. In 1957 Ernie hosted the "WLOF Hot Parade" from Noon-3PM on WLOF-AM 950  he also became the first newscaster for WLOF-TV (now WFTV) in 1958. Following his return to Melbourne, Fla., he worked with WMEL-AM 920 as the space program reporter for many years, retiring in 1999 as the national regional sales manager.

Miguel Negron pioneer in Spanish-language radio passes Negron appeared on WONQ-AM 1030  in 1991 and was an instant hit among Hispanics who indulged in his give-and-take format with politicians and community activists. Negron, called "The Showman," died Thursday December 28, 2005. He was 78 years old. Negron began his career in Puerto Rico and continued in New York before moving to Orlando.

2006 Al Lee  1-1106 OCALA - Al Lee , 77, a retired journalist, died Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006. A native of Nashville, Ga., he moved here in 1960 from Pompano Beach. An award-winning investigative journalist for the Tampa Tribune and the Star-Banner, he was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Journalism. He was a former radio news editor for WMOP-AM 900 and WTMC-AM 1290, public relations director for the Florida Department of Corrections, and city editor for the Star-Banner. He began the Marion County Meditation Program, was the first non-lawyer to argue before the Florida Supreme Court and was a columnist for the Voice of South Marion. Mr. Lee was the recipient of the Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Achievement Award, was the youngest person to fly solo in the state, and was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War.

Terry Mason Passes  Jan. 2006 Terry M. England age 52 years of Omaha. Longtime Omaha Radio personality. Terry is survived by daughters, Megan England and Molly England and brother, Charles Wayne England. Terry was program director for Waitt Radio Networks' "Oldies Plus" radio format, originating in Omaha and distributed to stations throughout the United States. Terry also worked many years in Central Florida Radio, under the name of Terry Mason at stations including WGTO-AM 540, WWZN-AM 540 and  WOTS-AM 1220.

John Donahey Jr.  John William Donahey Jr., 70, of La Jardin, a former owner of WTAI-FM 107.1, Melbourne died Friday, February 24, 2006 at Ocean View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, New Smyrna Beach. Mr. Donahey was born in Cleveland and came to this area in 2004 from Columbus, Ohio. He was an advertising executive for Radio Station WLAC, Nashville, Tenn. He was a member of Nashville Advertising Federation and the Nashville Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Brevard County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Sertoma Club. He served on the board of directors for the American Cancer Society in Nashville and Melbourne. Survivors include his wife, Jeanne; two sons, John III, Fairfield Glade, Tenn., and Albert, Canal Winchester, Ohio; a daughter, Carol Holley, Bronxville, N.Y.; a stepdaughter, Robin Sampson, Edgewater; and two grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 1620 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Suite 300, Daytona Beach, FL 32119. Dudley, Edgewater, is in charge.

Woody Wooden Passes   Long time area disc-jockey and newsman, Woody Wooden has passed away after a brief illness. With more than 50 years on the airwaves Woody’s mellow voice up until recently had entertained Sunday night listeners on WPCV-FM 97.5 with "The Classic Country Show".  Woody also worked at WGTO-AM 540 when the station was at Cypress Gardens. He will be missed for his great demeanor and enduring respect for the artist’s records he played during his career.

Chris Morgan Passes  Chris Morgan aka Jeff Summers, WKMG-TV "Local 6" traffic reporter passed away. Chris was working for Traffic Management as a manager operating the DOT cameras and updating the 511system. Chris had a stroke and was thought to be on the road to recovery. Chris was 53.

Dick Ravenhill Passes   Thanks to Sam Stratton, the grandson of Dick Ravenhill for this obituary. Richard C. Ravenhill Tuesday, February 7, 2006 Richard C. Ravenhill, 84, of Marshall, formerly of Leesburg, Fla., died Monday, Feb. 6, 2006, at Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall. Cremation. Services are pending. Born Aug. 1, 1921, in Portland, Ore., he was the son of the late Clifford Ravenhill and Elva Williams Ravenhill. He attended Missouri Valley College and was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. He had lived in Leesburg most of his life and was a retired radio broadcaster in Orlando and Leesburg. Survivors include two sons, Richard Ravenhill and wife Karen of Columbia and Robert Ravenhill and wife Jan of Marshall; two  daughters, Sara Stratton and husband Tom of Topeka, Kan., and Helen Ravenhill and husband, Ed Meltzer, of Kansas City; one brother, Ronald Ravenhill of Phenix City, Ala.; eight grandchildren, Colin Ravenhill and wife Stefanie of Watkinsville, Ga., Scott Ravenhill of Los Angeles, Calif., Sam Stratton of Lawrence, Kan., Laura Stratton and Joel Stratton of Topeka, Kan., Rachel Brown and husband Rob of St. Louis, Martha Ravenhill of Washington, D.C., and Gerri Ravenhill of Ft. Worth, Texas;  and one great-grandson, Jacob Ravenhill of Watkinsville, Ga.

Wes Unold    April 2006 Wesley H. Unold, 70, of Summerfield passed away of natural causes. Mr. Unold was a radio personality for WLBE-AM 790 in Leesburg, WMOP-AM 900, WMOP-FM 93.7 and WFUZ-FM 93.7 in Ocala. Born in Flushing, N.Y., he moved to Florida in 1972 from North Carolina. He was an alumni of the Columbia School of Broadcasting and was a member of the Moose Lodge. Survivors include his wife of 41 years, Reomia Unold of Summerfield; daughters: Renee Howerton of Belleview, Lisa McMasters of Ocala; sons: Eric Unold of Atlanta, Ga., Galen Unold of Ocala, Brian Unold of Atlanta, Ga.; and 10 grandchildren. There will be a Celebration of Life at Roberts Funeral Homes, Ocala (352-622-4141) on Wednesday, April 12th at 5:30 P.M. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to your local Humane Society. Roberts Funeral Home, Ocala.

Billy “The Janitor” Alverson Passes  Billy Alverson, better known as "The Janitor" on WJRR-FM 101.1 has died. Billy was also in promotions for "Real Rook 101one" and for WQTM-AM 740 "740 The Team". He had recently taken over promotions for Clear Channel Brevard.

Longtime Southwest Florida Radio Personality Joe Scott dies  11-25-06 Obituary from Naples News By Charlie Whitehead A man who made Southwest Florida morning listeners laugh - and cringe - for most of two decades is off the air for good. Joe Scott, 46, died Tuesday after collapsing at his home in Cape Coral . No cause of death has been determined. Scott worked for Beasley Broadcasting stations as an on-air personality off and on for 15 years. His career with Beasley included stints at stations WRXK-FM, WJBX-FM and WWCN-AM. His devoted fans loved him, but he was frequently at odds with his bosses. He also made no secret of the fact that he battled drug addiction. He was fired most recently in March, said ex-wife Emilee Scott, herself a frequent target in routines that followed the travails of his life. She said when he died he had been working on launching an Internet radio station and awaiting a visit from his Wisconsin-based sons. “He was an entertainer,” she said. “He was getting ready to launch the station and (looked forward to) visiting with the kids.” Scott had three children: daughter Jessica, 17, of Fort Myers ; and sons Joey, 11, and Jack, 8, of Wisconsin . “He had three wonderful kids and they miss him very much. He was very loving, very funny,” she said. Emilee Scott said despite his brash radio personality, her ex-husband was soft-hearted. “He was willing to help anyone. When someone needed him he was there. He is greatly missed.” Note: Joe was one of the original staff members at WMMY-FM 102.3

Carl Marcocci Passes 12-23-06 The owner of four Tampa radio stations, Carl Marcocci, 68, died from an apparent heart attack Thursday night, December 23, 2006. Marcocci was leaving a dinner meeting with his station managers to give out bonus checks, according to his partner Steve Schurdell. His car crashed through a fence and struck a building next door. The burglar alarm went off about 7:20 p.m.  His body was found the next morning in his Mercedes coupe. Marcocci's daughter, Sharon Moffatt said Saturday that the family believes her father died of a heart attack, possibly induced by the anguish of his son’s death earlier this year and her own ongoing struggle with cancer. Radio was always a big part of Marcocci’s life. He started out as a disc jockey in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and worked in many different cities, even serving a stint in Korea working for military radio. He married Betty Lou Henderson, in 1962, but they had to keep their marriage secret because Betty Lou was a flight attendant for United Airlines and at that time, stewardesses (as they were called then) were not allowed to be married. At the time of his death, Mr. Marcocci owned the Palm Harbor based oldies station, WJQB-FM 106.3, WXCV-FM 95.3 in Homosassa Springs and WXOF-FM 96.3, Spring Hill as well as WINV-AM 1560,Beverly Hills. Carl is survived by his wife, Betty Lou Marcocci, daughter Sharon Moffatt, son Russell Marcocci, and sister Lucy Jane Clement as well as uncle, Louis Coccoli.

Lakeland Radio Legend Passes 12-20-06 Frank M. "Bud" Kurtz, Jr., of Lakeland, died December 20, 2006, at the age of 79. Mr. Kurtz was an owner-operator of radio station WVFM-FM 94.1  with partners, Duane McConnell and Herb Todd. After selling the stations, he worked there for an additional eight years.

2007 Tom Blair Passes  1-10-07 Charles Thomas "Tom" Blair-Dec. 5, 1938 - Jan. 10, 2007.  Charles "Tom" Blair, age 68, of Orlando, passed away on Wednesday, January 10th, in Lake County Hospice House. His mother, Ruby Blair of Eagle Rock; VA, his son, Dorian Blair of Sorrento, FL; his daughter, Dorame Blair Deadmond of Lakeville, IN; his five siblings, and four grandchildren, survive him. Tom was born December 5, 1938 in Holdenville, OK to Charles H. and Ruby Blair. After serving 20 years in the U.S. Navy, where his last assignment was aboard the USS Saratoga, he moved his family to the Orlando area to continue his career in radio broadcasting. His voice has been heard for the past 25 years reporting the news on several radio stations including  WDBO-AM 580 and WWKA-FM 92.3 "K92 FM", as the announcer for WOFL-TV 35, and reporting traffic conditions for Metro Traffic and TMI. Tom loved radio broadcasting and kept his voice in the business even after retirement. He enjoyed traveling and meeting new people; cooking, gardening, and watching his grandchildren grow. Tom is having a simple cremation and no services are planned per his request.

Eddie Hubbard Dies After Car Accident  3-31-07 Eddie Hubbard died March 26 after he and wife, were involved in an accident. Eddie was a veteran Chicago broadcaster eventually moving to Dallas and joining the ABC Radio Satellite Music Network. The "Stardust" format was carried by WHOO-AM 990 from 1993 until Disney took over in 2001.

Donald Ammon Feb. 13, 1927 - April 9, 2007 Don Ammon's obituary as it appeared in the Orlando Sentinel April 11, 2007 ORANGE CITY - Donald V. Ammon, 80, of French Avenue, a retired program manager for radio stations WOOO(-AM 1310), WJBS(-AM 1490), WDLF(-AM 1490) and WETO(-AM 1490), died Monday at Hospice Care Center, Port Orange. Born in Donora, Pa., Mr. Ammon moved here in 1955 from Pittsburgh. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Deland, and a lifetime member of the Shoestring and Caravan theaters and the Debary and the Delray Beach players. He attended Ashland (Ohio) and Stetson universities and the University of Akron, Ohio. He performed in three off-Broadway productions. He was known as the "voice of Deland." Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Kathleen; two sons, Douglas, Washington, D.C., and Matthew, Alexandria, Va.; two daughters, Leah Dreggors, Deland, and Amy Ammon, Orange City; a brother, Jack, Deland; two sisters, Ruth Cochran and Virginia Myett, both of Deland; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Volusia/Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129; or to the Shoestring Theatre Inc., 380 S. Goodwin St., Lake Helen, FL 32744; or to Journey's End Animal Sanctuary, 1899 Mercer's Fernery Road, Deland, FL 32720. Deltona Memorial, Orange City, is in charge.

John Gordon Passes  6-13-07 Thanks to Dennis Snyder for this information on John.   Over the years John worked for several of the area newspapers including the then FTU (now UCF) newspaper, The Winter Park Corner Cupboard newspaper, The Orlando Sentinel, The Sanford Herald, and others. He was a regular at Malcolm's Hungry Bear in Orlando back in the 1970s. Most recently he worked for Wal-Mart in Sanford. Just a few of those who attended a remembrance luncheon were: Dennis Snyder, Mrs. Malcolm Tate and Son (of Malcolm's Hungry Bear), Greg and Mary Anna Gentleman, Marty Stebbins, Gary & Bonnie Taylor & son Charlie, Lee Olson, Todd Persons and Henry Johns.

Dick Sollom Passes    6-29-07 Rick (Saylor) Morgan let me know about Dick Sollom's passing.   Richard G. "Dick" Sollom passed away June 1, 2007 at age 67.  Dick was born April 3, 1940 in Grand Forks, ND. He moved to Orlando in 1974. He served in the U.S. Army, worked in radio as part of the team of Rick and Dick. Dick is survived by his sister, Shirley Foster and, her husband Porter L. Foster, Jr. of North Dakota.

Sanoma Robertson Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL) - July 13, 2007 DAYTONA BEACH - Sanoma Robertson's career in advertising covered the gamut from copywriter, sales representative and producer of television and radio programs. Along the way, she stayed active with the busy lives of her five children as well as civic activities. Sanoma Jean Melham Robertson, 79, an area resident since 1966, died Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at her Ormond Beach home. Born in Sioux City, Iowa, her career began as an assistant to the national sales manager of the CBS affiliate TV station. In time, her talents branched out to creating newspaper ads and working in public relations. Locally, she began working for The Daytona Beach News-Journal as a classified advertising sales representative, later joining WNDB-AM 1150  radio and Roberson Communications, where she won the top award nationally from the American Advertising Federation for creating a Sunday supplement for the Nursing Home Association. Helene Roberson, former owner of the company and longtime friend, described Robertson as "a great friend and mentor to me for her work ethic and devotion to her family." She also worked at WSBB-AM 1230 radio, New Smyrna Beach, and WCEU-TV as a producer in 1988, then director of development and public relations until 2001. "My mom was hard-working, but she always made time for activities for all her children and grandchildren and had the loudest cheers in the audience," said one of her daughters, Vicki Foley of Ormond Beach. " 'Sittoo' (Lebanese for grandmother), as her grandchildren called her, also attended all of their events," she added. Robertson was one of the founding members of Holy Cross Orthodox Church, Holly Hill. She served as president of the Daytona Beach Advertising Federation and won its Silver Medal Award in 1980. During the  1970s and 80s, she was active in numerous organizations, including the founding committee which created the fundraiser "Puttin' On The Ritz" for the Children's Home Society, the American Cancer Society, the Palmetto Place Advocates and the Daytona Playhouse, where she was a cast member of many musicals performed in the late 1960s and 1970s. An avid reader, she also enjoyed family genealogy, bridge, travel, crocheting, writing letters to family and friends, music, plants and flowers, but most of all, she enjoyed playing practical jokes on her friends. Additional survivors include a son, Thomas, Bunnell; three daughters, Denise Rossi, Ormond Beach; Carol Davis, Charleston,  S.C., and Jaime Winkelman, Winter Garden; a brother, Thomas Melham; two sisters, Barbara Fangman and Beverly  Swanson; and 10 grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Holy Cross Orthodox Church, 375 Fleming Ave. Ormond Beach, FL 32174. Lohman Ormond is in charge.

Fred Klein Passes  7-29-07 Barbara Barri has informed us of the death of Fred Klein. Fred has supplied loads of information, pictures and great stories to this website. Read about his day as a "nude model" at WLOF-AM 950, as Sean King, his very funny tale of his time at WCKS-FM 101.1 as well as great photos from "CK101"  and  photos and memories of WKKO-AM 860. We will have more details as they become available.

Fred Klein's Obituary From Lancaster Online    Frederic Ferree Klein, 71, died Saturday, July 28, 2007 at the Lancaster General Hospital after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Fred was born on February 4, 1936 in Lancaster. He was preceded in death by his parents, Professor Frederic Shriver Klein and Florence Haenle Klein of Lancaster. Klein graduated from Manheim Township High School, and attended Mercersburg Academy. He also studied at Franklin and Marshall College. He was a veteran of the US Air Force during the Korean War. In the early 60s he obtained his first job at WGAL radio on an afternoon jazz show. He made a switch to rock 'n roll at WLAN radio in 1963. He continued to work along the East Coast as a D.J./Radio announcer including stints in Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, Florida. In 1987, he returned to Lancaster and was employed by Friendly Transportation. Fred's interest was always music, especially jazz, big bands, and later, Rock 'N Roll. He also was especially fond of animals, and he made many contributions to the Lancaster County Humane League. He was a life-long member of his family's Shriver Homestead, an historic Civil War museum in Union Mills, Maryland. He is survived by his sister, Joan Klein Weidman of Millersville, and three children, Joseph Shriver Klein, John Wayne Klein, and Julie Anne Klein. He has six grandchildren and three great grandchildren. A private interment will be held at the convenience of the family. Memorial contributions in Fred's name may be sent to Union Mills Homestead, 3311 Littlestown Pike, Westminster, MD 21158, or the Parkinson's Disease Association, 1250 Hyland Blvd., Suite 4B, Staten Island, NY 10305. Arrangements entrusted to Auer Memorial Home and Cremation Services, Harrisburg.

Paul Yeskel   9-23-07 Paul Yeskel has spent over 30 years in the music business with experience as a concert promoter, DJ at WORJ-FM 107.7, artist manager, talent agent. In 1985 Yeskel established Aim Strategies, an independent promotion and marketing company specializing in Rock promotion and retail tracking. Aim was a pioneer in new technology by developing the first computer software for tracking radio play and retail sales as well as being the first promotion entity to deliver radio reports to their clients via fax. In 1994 Aim became the first company to promote what was to later become the AAA format. Paul passed away in his sleep in the early hours of Sunday, September 23, 2007. He was 56.

Radio Voice Of High School Football Dead At 47  10-15-07 WIXC-AM 1060 broadcaster Keith Lippert, died of a heart attack on Friday, October 12, 2007,  just hours before he was to broadcast a high school football game. Lippert was known as "the radio voice of high school football in Brevard County." The game featured Space Coast High at Melbourne High. Lippert, was 47. He also hosted  "Friday Night Locker Room with Keith Lippert".  He was treated at the scene and then transported to Holmes Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday at a location to be announced. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations toward a scholarship it is creating for aspiring sports radio broadcasters. Funeral arrangements are being handed by Wiley-Baxley Funeral Home in Rockledge.

Bob Mervine Passes  10-18-07 Orlando Business Journal Staff Writer Bob Mervine died Wednesday October 17, 2007, after a brief hospitalization at Florida Hospital Altamonte. Mervine, 60, covered hospitality and tourism and media for OBJ since joining the staff full time in August 2001. Prior to that time, Mervine worked as a publicist for Walt Disney World and for The Villages. He previously worked as a broadcast journalist as well. In the years he was with OBJ, Mervine won a number of regional and state awards, including a Society of Professional Journalists Green Eyeshade award, as well as being part of the OBJ team that won a Society of American Business Editors and Writers award for the 2004 hurricane coverage and its impact on local businesses. "We are greatly saddened at the news of Bob's death, but want to thank all those in the community who phoned or e-mailed during his hospitalization," says Editor Cindy Barth. "We always knew Bob was a well-known figure about town, and we know he will be sorely missed by all those who had the opportunity to meet and to know him." A memorial service and tribute to Mervine will be held Sunday, Oct. 21, from 2-4 p.m. at The Peabody Hotel, 9801 International Drive. Attendees are asked to remember him by wearing Hawaiian shirts to the service.

Bob "The Cruiser" Cummings April 1, 1947-September 30, 2007-Arthur Christman better known as  Bob " The Cruiser " Cummings , a DJ with WFBO-FM 93.3 "Blizzard Radio" for three years. Bob began his career in radio during his stint in the Army during the Vietnam era. Bob passed away at home and, instead of a memorial service, his ashes were scattered at sea from the Flagler Beach pier. Bob leaves his wife of 25 years, Linda Christman, three sons, a daughter and four grandchildren.

2008 Lillian Eiland Lillian Jaffe Eiland, 86, of Orlando, FL, formerly of Huntington, WVA, died Saturday, January 19, 2008 in Orlando. She was born March 26, 1921 in Huntington, a daughter by birth of Sandor Lagun and Rae Marguerite Cuttler Jaffe. Shew was a member of the B'nai Sholom Congregation and very active with the Surfside Players in Cocoa Beach, FL, having served as president and acted in a number of productions. She was preceded in death by her husband, Theodore Anthony "Ted" Eiland, with whom she owned and ran WKKO radio station in Cocoa, FL, and her father Isidore Jaffe of Huntington. She is survived by her four sons, Howard A. Eiland, Stuart A. Eiland, Robert A. Eiland and Richard A. Eiland; and 10 grandchildren. Graveside services were held on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at the B'nai Israel Section of Spring Hill Cemetery, Huntington, by Rabbi David Wucher. Expressions of sympathy may be made to B'nai Sholom Congregation, P. O. Box 2674, Huntington, WV 25726. Walter Windsor  2-29-08 Walter Windsor came to Orlando in 1969 and worked as general manager and editorial spokesman at WFTV-Channel 9. When the station was sold in 1984, he became head of the new owner's broadcasting division. Windsor also dabbled in radio. The corporation he formed, Comco, Inc. had interests in  two Venice, Florida stations; WAMR-AM 1320 and WRAV-FM 92.1. Stations in Central Florida included WGGG-AM 1230, WWLD-AM 1190 as well as WINV-AM 1560. A "Celebration of the Life of Walter M. Windsor" will be held from 7 to 10 pm on Monday, March 10, 2008 at the Orlando Repertory Theatre (Universal Theatre) in Orlando, 1001 E Princeton Street, Orlando, Florida 32803.  Directions are available at www.orlandorep.com/contact.htm. For information on the Celebration of the Life of Walter M. Windsor, please call Wendy at 407-257-7834.  Walter's family has setup a tribute website to Walter at http://www.walterwindsor.com/

Gordon Banta  2-29-08 Orlando Sentinel - March 4, 2008 BANTA, GORDON, June 14, 1937 - Feb. 29, 2008. Gordon was born in Patterson, NJ. He was a member of the US Navy and the teamsters. He is survived by wife Lisa, children Joseph, Teresa, Gordy and daughter-in-law Sarah; grandchildren Sophia and Marcus; former wife Gracie and Charlie; four brothers. Gordon loved horses, boxing, the New York Yankees and animals. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 9th at 5:30PM at 2130 Fawsett Road, Winter Park 32789. Friends and family   welcome.  Gordon was heard on WGTO-AM 540 with Peter Banks on a program called "The Singles Connection, a talk show for singles. Gordon appeared on WJHM-FM 101.9's ''Psychic Wednesday''.

Peter G. Deitchman  Peter G. Deitchman, 71, of Etowah, North Carolina, passed away on Tuesday, March 18, 2008, at Park Ridge Hospital. He was born in New York City, the son of the late Stanley Deitchman and Ida Levin Deitchman, and had also resided in Florida before moving to the mountains of Western North Carolina. His true love was radio broadcasting, specifically "smooth jazz." After spending several years at the University of Central Florida's radio station WUCF-FM 89.9, he retired to the mountains of North Carolina to become part of the WSQL-AM 1240 family in Brevard, North Carolina. His love of contemporary jazz had him hosting "Jazz Lite" and more recently a Sunday "Jazz Brunch."  In recent years, his illness was overcome with the encouragement of the Cardiac Rehab Center at Park Ridge Hospital and his poker buddies at the Opportunity House, whose company was always a "Royal Flush." He is survived by his loving wife, Marie, and her children, Amy and Matt Collier; Vicki Deitchman, friend and mother of his children; daughter, Lauren Kessler and her husband, Lewis; son, Marc Deitchman; two grandchildren, Sam and Carly Kessler; his sister and friend, Sue Kahn; and nephews, Steven, Gary and Daniel Kahn. A memorial service celebrating his life will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Thos. Shepherd's Church Street Chapel. Chaplain Art Slagle will officiate. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in his name to Park Ridge Hospital, Cardiac Rehab Center, P.O. Box 1569, Fletcher, N.C., 28732 or to FISH, P.O. Box 2411, Hendersonville, N.C., 28793. An online guest book is available for family and friends by visiting www.thosshepherd.com.

TalkStar Radio Morning Co-Host Kim Matthews Dies  3-29-08  Courtesy of Radio Ink WHITE SPRINGS, FL -- March 27, 2008: Kim Matthews, co-host with Ed Shiflett of TalkStar Radio Networks' American Daybreak morning show, has died at age 40, the network reports. Matthews, known on the air as TalkStar Kim, also served as Production Director for the company's White Springs TV satellite network. TalkStar CEO Victor Ives said in a statement, "It is hard to think of what the mornings will be like without the banter between Kim and Ed. We have already been getting calls from listeners saying they are missing the radio show. It is now our sad duty to report the reason why the show isn't being aired. The bright light of her humor and grace has been dimmed. But Kim Matthews will not be soon forgotten." The local affiliate of The TalkStar Radio network is WPGS-AM 840. Kimberly Ann Matthews was born on June 29, 1967 in Saddlebrook, NJ, and grew up in Lincoln Park, NJ. She moved to Florida in 1989 where she spent her remaining days. She passed away peacefully on Wednesday March 26, 2008. She was the loved radio personality of TalkStar Kim on American Daybreak on local station TalkStar 840 AM and nationally on the TalkStar Radio Network. She was also the Production Director of White Springs TV a small national movie channel for cable systems and TV stations. She is survived by Parents: Linda and Terrence Matthews. Children: Samantha, Amy, and Kelley Mackey. Grandchildren: Maria Lea and James Mackey. Sisters Dawn Kaisen, Debbie Matthews, and Kelly Higgins. Her loving companion Ed Shiflett.

Thelma Tharp  posted 5-10-08  Thelma Tharp a very independent, senior advocate passed away on April 25, 2008 after suffering from an infection. She was 97. Thelma retired to Winter Park in the late 1980s and became the voice of seniors on her radio show called "Senior Networking" which ran on both WHOO-AM 990 and WKIS-AM 740. Thelma did her own marketing and found her sponsors during her eleven year run on Central Florida Radio.

Tom Franklin  posted 5-11-08 Pamal Broadcasting's WRZN-AM 720 Hernando-Ocala general manager Tom Franklin passed away Friday May 9, 2008 from an apparent heart attack. From The Citrus Chronicle  By Mike Wright To hear his friend Jackie Boring put it, Tom Franklin had a “wonderful mind.” Former Citrus County Commissioner Josh Wooten playfully sparred with Franklin while the two talked politics on TV.  Then Franklin got into the political ring himself, running for county commission against another friend, incumbent Vicki Phillips. All three were in shock Friday after hearing that Franklin died of a heart attack suffered while he and Boring were on their way to dinner. “Citrus County just lost a wonderful mind,” Boring said. “He could have really helped. I used to say his brain was fantastic,  phenomenal and fun. He would find a solution to almost everything. If that solution didn’t work, he’d find another one.”  Boring and Franklin were on their way to the Outback Steakhouse at around 5 p.m. Her car was stopped for the red light at the  intersection of County Roads 491 and 486 when Boring said she noticed Franklin gasping for breath. Another motorist saw the trouble and called 911. Franklin, 60, was rushed to Citrus Memorial Hospital by ambulance, where emergency workers were unable to revive him, Citrus County Sheriff’s Capt. Richard Wesch said. Franklin, who suffered a heart attack in 1999, spent much of last week in the hospital with abdominal pains, Wooten said. He saw Franklin on Wednesday at the Citrus Hills Information Fiesta and again Friday at lunch. “He seemed to be doing really well,” Wooten said. “I spent two hours with him right before this happened. We were having lunch, talking about old times.” Franklin was general manager of WRZN-AM. He held the same position for four years at WYKE-TV, where he and Wooten spent a half-hour each week discussing politics on “We Have Issues.” Franklin also had intense interest in the county’s history and its development. He served on the blue ribbon committee that developed Citrus County’s first comprehensive growth-management plan. In January, Franklin announced his campaign for county commission in the Republican primary against Phillips. County Administrator Anthony Schembri notified Phillips and other commissioners of Franklin’s death. Phillips said she and Franklin were friends. “I’ve known him since he came to this county,” she said. “He’s always been a perfect gentleman and a fine man. I’m just so sad.”

Bill Vermillion Passes  5-25-08 Dick Camnitz aka Dick Shane reports the passing of an Orlando radio legend. Bill Vermillion known as "the weird beard" on WLOF-AM 950 has lost his 2 year battle with Cancer. Bill requested no formal funeral or memorial service but there most likely will be a Celebration of his life at some later date.  Stay tuned for details as they become available. Longtime Orlando Radio Giant William Joseph Vermillion Jr. dies of cancer at 71    5-27-08 Rich McKay Sentinel Staff Writer  May 27, 2008 Before the homogenization of radio, it was the voice of "The Weird Beard" who ruled Orlando's airwaves with rapid-fire banter, free-style record selections and a zaniness that has all but been sterilized out of existence. The voice of Weird Beard, a '60s- and '70s-era disc jockey for WLOF AM -- fell silent a little after 1 p.m. Saturday when he succumbed to a long fight with intestinal cancer, his son said. Vermillion was 71. "The chemotherapy had just worn him out," his son, William Fred Vermillion, said Monday from his Orlando home where a  number of longtime friends and well-wishers gathered. There was no formal announcement and no funeral or service is planned, the younger Vermillion said, following his father's wishes. But news of the elder Vermillion's passing spread across Internet websites devoted to radio days of yesteryear. Steve Rutledge, whose late father John (Rutledge) once owned the Orlando station, said that Vermillion should be remembered not only  for his on-air presence, which was a must-listen for young people wanting the Beatles and later Jimi Hendrix, but for his uncanny ability to pick tomorrow's top songs before anyone else. "He was known as 'B-side Bill' because he'd listen to the flip side of a record, not just the A-side that the record producers were promoting," said Rutledge, now of Memphis, Tenn. "He was truly a legend, nationally known, everybody and his brother knew Weird Beard," he said. Former colleague Lee Arnold, now of Milwaukee, said Vermillion is credited for putting Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" on the top-40 lists of the country back in 1967. After leaving the station before it was sold and automated in 1982, Vermillion became a recording engineer for BeeJay Recording Studio where he helped make albums for bands such as Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot and Judas Priest. In addition to his son, the elder Vermillion is survived by his wife Bonnie Vermillion of Winter Park; his brother Robert J. Vermillion of Great Falls, Mont.; daughter-in-law Brenda Vermillion; grandson Christopher Vermillion; and granddaughter  Anastajia Williams. Rich McKay can be reached at rmckay@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5470.  Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel

Thomas C. Siegfried  posted 6-18-08 Thomas Craig Siegfried, 72, Winter Garden, died Sunday, June 15. He was born in Independence, MO, and lived in Winter Garden for 24 years. He attended Kansas University and served in the Army National Guard. He established PDQ Printing in Orlando before opening West Orange Quick Print with his wife, Gayle, in Ocoee. Prior to his printing career, he was part of the management team at WLOF-AM 950. Survivors: wife of 21 years, Gayle Davidson Siegfried; sons, Thomas Craig Jr., Michael Martin and wife Kim, all of Winter Garden, Steve, Winter Park, Kevin Martin and wife Kara, Ocoee; daughters, Lisa Bohn, Sarasota, Laura Toshie and husband Miles, Winter Park; grandchildren, Sasha Bohn, Peter Bohn, Nicholas Bohn, Hannah Toshie, Abbey Toshie, Gabriella, Jacob Martin, Zach Martin, Leigh Anne Martin, Victoria Martin. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the charity of one's choice. A celebration of Tom's life will be held this Thursday, June 19, at 7PM at Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home, 428 E. Plant St., Winter Garden. The family will receive visitors from 6-7PM. All family and friends are invited to a reception at the Siegfrieds' home immediately following the celebration. Published in the Orlando Sentinel on 6/18/2008. Tom Marshall  7-11-08 From The Orlando Sentinel 'Photo icon' Tom Marshall, 71, charmed thousands of kids Linda Florea Sentinel Staff Writer July 11, 2008 If you've had a child in preschool or day care in Central Florida, chances are you own a portrait taken by Tom Marshall. Marshall, who captured the faces of more than 500,000 children in black-and-white candid photos during the past 35 years, died of carcinoid cancer Wednesday at his home in Thornton Park. He was 71. "Tom is a photo icon -- there is no one else like him," said Pam McComb, assistant director of First Presbyterian Church of Orlando weekday school, where he has been taking student photos for more than 25 years. She still has photos on her wall of her own children, now 26 and 29, when they were young. "You could walk into many, many homes in the area, and there will be a wall of Tom Marshall." Parents raved about the photos, one even saying that during a hurricane evacuation she grabbed her jewelry and "Tom Marshalls." But Marshall always kept his work in perspective. "Look, this is a fun way to make a living," he said in a 2001 interview with the Orlando Sentinel.  "In the grand scheme of things, it's not that significant. It's not finding cures for diseases or feeding hungry children. I don't get carried away." Thomas Marshall Ferguson was born in Ben Avon, Pa., and studied broadcasting at Northwestern University in Chicago, while announcing football, founding the Northwestern Jazz Society and hosting a jazz radio show. In 1958 he joined the Illinois National Guard and later moved to St. Louis, where he and other investors bought a radio station, and he dropped his last name. He was so impressed with Winter Park during a visit with his retired parents in 1970 that he moved his family to the area. In Orlando, Marshall worked at a number of projects including emceeing, publishing, radio and television. He was host of a popular late-night talk show on WKIS-AM 740, which later migrated to WDBO-AM 580. But it was his knack for taking candid pictures of children that made him a household name for many families. "One reason why he started doing it is because he hated those posed color pictures in school," said his daughter, Stephanie Ferguson of Winter Park. Ferguson said she has been helping her father since he started in photography, first in the dark room, then on the computer, and has gradually worked into taking the photos. She said he would take one to three photos of each child and be out of the classroom in five minutes. He had an easy rapport with his young subjects. Since about 2000, Marshall and his wife, Lynn, have been supporters of the Orlando Ballet and among the founders of Friends of Orlando Ballet. He also survived by his son, Joshua Ferguson of Tuckahoe, N.Y., and two grandsons. Ocoee Family Funeral and Cremation Chapel is handling arrangements. There will be a memorial service at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Opera Hall at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center.

Sgt. Jim Humphries  8-7-08 Retired Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Jim Humphries died Monday, August 6, 2008, from injuries suffered in a car accident. Humphries spent 27 years at the Highway Patrol before retiring in 1980. He helped create a weekly television program called The Law and You, which addressed local law enforcement and community issues. He also did daily traffic reports on WHOO-AM 990.

Carl G. Collins, Jr.   9-30-08 Carl G. Collins, Jr. died Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at home. He was born July 2, 1927 to Carl Gilbert and Mattie Viola Cook Collins, Sr. in Panama City, FL. Survivors include his wife of 17 years, Elissa; sons, Michael Collins and Pat Collins; daughter, Kay Matthews; son, Carl (Gil) Collins; stepsons, Kerry Palin, Jeffrey Palin and Douglas Palin; eight grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Eileen and sister, Winelle. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Melbourne, the Masons and Rotary Club. A US Army veteran, he had a wonderful sense of humor and in the 1950s was a pioneer in starting WKKO-AM 860 in Brevard. He was known as "Mr. Radio". He also worked for WRKT. In 1959 he went to work for Lockheed as a systems engineer until his retirement in 1991.

Howard Feingold  11-2-08 Howard Feingold, 88, passed away peacefully at the stroke of midnight on Saturday, November 22, 2008. From his very early years working in plastics, where he engineered many new innovations in the industry, to his years with Boeing at the Cape, Howard was always giving attention to the community, including United Way and many other various local charities. He was lauded by many as Brevard's most successful radio time salesman, for many years representing the famous WCKS-FM 101.1, WSTF-FM 101.1 and WAOA-FM 107.1. As well as serving as Local and National Radio Sales Managers. Howard also took great joy broadcasting on the air. Many Brevard physicians will remember his TV interview shows highlighting their varied specialties, and many local listeners tuned into WMEL-AM 920 each week for his "A Man And His Music" radio show of music by great artists through the years. Combining his radio career with the local surfing festivals, Howard was the driving force bringing many surfing legends to Brevard. He was predeceased by his wife of 60 years, Helen, and his son, Stanley Feingold (Stan Lee). Surviving are his loving and devoted daughter, Dale Daniels of Palm Bay; granddaughter, Corinne Slagoski (Todd) of Palm Bay; great-granddaughter, Hannah Slagoski of Palm Bay; great-grandsons, Aaron and Kevin Slagoski of Palm Bay; grandson, Nathan Feingold (Andrea); great-great-granddaughter, Isabel Feingold of New Braunfels, TX; sister, Irene Berger of Viera; cousin, Ruth Stempel of Eastchester, NY; and sister-in- law, Olga Walsh of Cranston, RI, as well as many years-long friends that will truly miss him. No memorial service per Howard's request. Donations may be made to Brevard Achievement Center, 1845 Cogswell Road, Rockledge, FL 32955. Correspondence to the family may be sent to PO Box 1346, Melbourne, FL 32902.

Bill Drake Passes  11-30-08 Legendary radio programmer Bill Drake of KHJ/Los Angeles "Boss Radio" fame and other stations in the 1960s and 1970s, and who along with his business partner Lester Eugene "Gene" Chenault formed the radio syndication company Drake-Chenault in the late-1960s and early-1970s, which specialized in jingle packages and automated music formats for AM and FM radio stations, died from lung cancer in Los Angeles on Nov. 29. He was 71.

Melvin Grace Passes 12-6-08 'Little Daddy' Grace was voice of rock 'n' roll, gospel Martha Phifer Sentinel Staff Writer December 6, 2008

Melvin W. Grace Sr., known as "Little Daddy" during his years as the morning disc jockey at WOKB-AM 1600, died of pneumonia Nov. 24. He was 79.  Born and raised in Miami, Grace was in junior high school when he became curious about on-air radio personalities. During a time when black disc jockeys were unheard of, Grace asked his mother if he could meet a disc jockey she enjoyed listening to. Grace began observing the DJ on weekends, until the day he left Grace alone in the booth. When the record ended and Grace took over, the station's owner called, asking who the unfamiliar voice was. That day marked the start of Grace's lifelong career in radio, making him one of the first black voices on the airwaves in Florida. In high school, Grace continued his radio gig but made time to perform with the Melody Echoes, a gospel group he formed with three friends. The group made its on-air debut soon after and eventually performed live at Carnegie Hall in New York and in South Florida. Grace worked at stations in Miami, Jacksonville and Daytona Beach, often commuting between cities during his early years. It was while working in Daytona Beach that he made the switch to rock 'n' roll and took on "Little Daddy" as his on-air name. When the station was sold, he was hired as the morning disc jockey for WOKB in Orlando, where he remained from 1957 to 1978. In addition to radio, Grace hosted Harmony and Grace, a Sunday morning TV show that featured local gospel artists on WESH-Channel 2. He also was known for the dances he held during summers and on weekends. "He hosted teen dances . . . to give young people something positive to do," said Steve January, his former general manager at WOKB. They were yearly galas, where boys dressed up in tuxedos and girls wore their best dresses, he said. Francina Boykin remembers Grace as the disc jockey who kept youth out of trouble by hosting those dances throughout Central Florida. "Little Daddy, as we called him, brought us all together. We didn't have violence. It was just a bunch of kids dancing," Boykin said. Grace moved to Jacksonville in the early 1990s. He was back at WOKB from 1998 to 2004, when he left the station for good to return to gospel. He was known as Deacon Melvin Grace at a station in Brevard County. "Melvin meant a lot to everybody," January said. "He gave the wisdom that he had on the air and was very knowledgeable about music. He loved young people." Grace married Theodora LaFleur in 1945, his son Melvin Grace Jr. said. The couple had six children. She died in 1960. Melvin Grace Jr. said his father was a very kind, giving and compassionate man who loved people and would give his all to those in need. He was profound, knowledgeable and wise, he said. Grace is survived by more than 30 children, according to friends and family. Marvin C. Zanders Funeral Home, Apopka, is handling arrangements.  Martha Phifer can be reached at mphifer@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5259. Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel

2009 Brantley Slaughter  1-6-09 Brantley Slaughter passed away on January 6, 2009. Brantley was a Chief Engineer at WORJ-AM 1270 and WORJ-FM 107.7. Brantley's contributions to the community are innumerable as were his acts of kindness to others.  He was involved in local schools, charities, churches, government and civic improvement causes.  Many of us called him fondly the “Oracle of Orange County” because of his civic activism and desire to help those less fortunate than himself.  Brantley Slaughter, 78, constant champion for 'the little guy' Linda Florea Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer January 14, 2009 Community activism brought out the best in Brantley Pate Slaughter. Orange County schools, fire stations, parks and individuals all benefited from his energy. He was known as the unofficial "mayor of Orlo Vista" throughout that little community just west of Orlando -- the person to consult when you needed help dealing with a government agency or official. "He always championed the cause of the little guy -- he'd expose stories of people who got mowed down by overbearing government, and he'd keep at it until he got the result he wanted," said Orlando Sentinel columnist Lauren Ritchie. "For Brantley, right was right and wrong was wrong, and he didn't care who got in the way." Slaughter died Jan. 6 from a heart attack. He was 78. An Orlando native, Slaughter worked with electronic equipment during a hitch in the Army. Later, he worked as an engineer at  an Orlando radio station that evolved into what is now WKMG-Channel 6, helping it make the transition from radio to TV. Charlie Bibber, another Orlo Vista resident, said he thinks Slaughter's activism was spurred by the Orange County School Board when it sought to take his home for the construction of Valencia Community College on Kirkman Road. Lawyers came at Slaughter with condemnation lawsuits, but not until a Valencia trustee asked what he wanted was a deal reached. Slaughter promoted community parks and better schools and lobbied for street lights and sidewalks. He and his blue truck were a daily sight at the neighborhood Publix, picking up food to deliver to the needy and elderly. He was happy to support other causes, too, and was well-known in nearby Pine Hills and farther north in Apopka. Until health problems made it too difficult for him, he and his wife, Wauneeta, would travel to Kissimmee on Saturdays to share  ice cream with children at "Give Kids the World." In the mid-1970s, he operated two community newspapers that he wrote and edited from home and often delivered himself. "If  they [politicians] were doing something that was not quite right, it would be in the paper," said Bibber, who knew Slaughter for more than 30 years. "He tried to keep people honest." Slaughter regularly attended school board and Orange County Commission meetings, and when he concluded that a particular politician was doing the right thing, he often helped out with the official's re-election campaign, regardless of party affiliation. "A lot of people sit around and complain to themselves and neighbors about what is wrong, and too few people roll up their sleeves and do something about it," said former county Commissioner Teresa Jacobs, who served from 2000 to 2008. "His purpose in life was to try to find a way to help other people. People like that always make a difference." And when Slaughter found a cause, he was dogged in his efforts "Brantley was as persistent as he was ornery. He didn't care how important someone thought they were or how small they thought his issue was," said Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell. "If Brantley thought a U.S. senator or lieutenant governor could help him get Orlo Vista kids another ball field, he'd try to track them down -- and usually didn't quit until he did. "I remember one time, years ago, when Brantley called and I could hear beeps in the background, and people ordering him to hang up the phone," Maxwell said. "Turns out it was doctors. Brantley was in the hospital -- literally moments away from  surgery and with the sedatives starting to take effect. But he told the docs he had to get out the word about problems at a school-crossing zone right then -- in case he never woke up."  In addition to his wife, Slaughter is survived by two sons, David Slaughter of Orlando and Mike Slaughter of Ontario, Canada; daughters Sue Slaughter of Orlando, Colleen Moore of Lancaster, Ky., and April Emigh of Birmingham, Ala.; nine grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Linda Florea can be reached at lflorea@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6063. Copyright © 2009, Orlando Sentinel Read more about Brantley here.

William A. Stipsits  2-15-09 Bill was a veteran of the United States Air Force, and a past member of Ormond Beach Rotary, the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Broadcasters, the United Way and a variety of other civic organizations during his career. Before his retirement he was the director of the Daytona Beach News-Journal InfoNet Services. Prior to working at the News-Journal he enjoyed a long career in radio broadcast management at WROD-AM 1340 Daytona Beach as well as  Orlando, and Ohio which spanned more than 30 years. Bill was a life long St. Louis Cardinals fan

Don Elliot Heald  2-19-09 One of the original Voices of WWV has passed away. The recorded voice of Time and Frequency Station WWV has fallen silent. This with word that announcer Don Elliot Heald, of Atlanta, Georgia, who gave WWV its human touch passed away on Thursday, February 19th. WWV is the oldest continuously-operating radio station in the United States, first going on the air from Washington, D.C. in May 1920, approximately six months before the launch of KDKA. WWV's main function is the continuous dissemination of official U.S. Government time signals. Known in the broadcast world as Don Elliot, Heald had distinguished career that ranged from work at Atlanta Georgia's WSB-TV as general manager to his automated and internationally heard WWV broadcasts on shortwave. He was also the voice of the Audichron telephone dial-in Time-Weather-Temperature service and of the Protestant Hour radio show for over 40 years. For nearly five decades Heald narrated the televised Christmas Eve service from Atlanta's Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip, where he served as a vestryman, junior warden and senior warden. Heald was originally from Massachusetts, but came to Atlanta via Lakeland, Florida. He was a graduate of the University of Florida at Gainesville and began his broadcast career after graduation when he accepted a position at  WRUF-AM 850 where remained for three years. In Atlanta he spent much of his spare time devoted to public service work with charities and civic clubs.

Paul Harvey 2-28-09 "Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation's history," ABC Radio Networks President Jim Robinson said in a written statement. "As he delivered the news each day with his own unique style and commentary, his voice became a trusted friend in American households." He was 90. Known for his deliberate delivery and pregnant pauses, Harvey's broadcasts were heard on more than 1,200 radio stations and 400 Armed Forces networks and his commentaries appeared in 300 newspapers, according to his Web site. Harvey died at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where he kept a winter home, said Louis Adams, a spokesman for the ABC networks. He was surrounded by family members when he died. "My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news," said Harvey's son, Paul Harvey Jr., in a written statement. "So, in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend." Harvey was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His radio career began in 1933 at KVOO-AM while he was still in high school. Harvey helped clean the station and was eventually was allowed to fill in on air, reading news and commercials. In 1990 Paul was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame and in 2005 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-President George W. Bush.   ABC Special Courtesy of  WDBO and Mike Murillo

Charles L. Goulder  3-7-09 Charles L. Goulder, 63 of Daytona Beach, Fl., passed away on March 7, 2009. He graduated in 1963 from Mount Dora High School. Between 1959 and 1966 he was worked at WVGT-AM 1580, Mt. Dora, WBIL-AM 1410, Leesburg and WHOO-AM 990, Orlando. After leaving radio in 1966 he began his career with the Orlando Fire Dept. riding the trucks at Station 1. In 1972 He was promoted to Lieutenant. In 1981 he was promoted to District Chief of Communications.

Al Risen  In the late '60s Albert H. Risen, Jr. worked at WKLO-AM 1080, WAKY-AM 790, WINN-AM 1240, WKRX-AM 790, WLAP-AM 630 all in Kentucky and WXVW-AM 1450 in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Al would move to WKDA in Nashville, and later WSM, where he syndicated a country music show. Al worked at country-formatted WHOO-AM 990 in Orlando as well as WELE-AM 1380 in Ormond Beach in the '80s. Later Al spent many years working for the Post Office in Edgewater. Al died in New Smyrna Beach on April 18, 2009 at the age of 65.

Crash kills Power 95.3 DJ Erika Roman  Orlando Sentinel, The (FL) - Saturday, May 2, 2009  Author: Keith W. Kohn, Sentinel Staff Writer A popular Orlando radio DJ was killed Friday when she tried to avoid debris on Florida's Turnpike and her car landed upside down underwater about 20 miles south of Osceola County. Erika Roman , 31, the morning host on "Power 95.3 FM", WPYO-FM 95.3, was killed in the 1:30 p.m. single-car crash. A Florida Highway Patrol report says she was driving southbound on the turnpike in the right-hand lane and swerved to the left to avoid a lounge chair in the road. She then overcorrected her 2007 Nissan Sentra and drove off the highway and onto the shoulder, according to the report. That's when her car flipped several times as it traveled more than 50 feet to a roadside canal and came to rest upside down and submerged. An FHP trooper and another motorist went into the water to rescue Roman, the car's lone occupant. The other motorist was injured in his rescue attempt and was taken to a hospital, but the trooper was able to pull Roman from the water. He performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 20 minutes but was unable to revive her. She was pronounced dead at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pierce. In Roman's final note to friends about 8 a.m. on the Web service Twitter, Roman said: "Ready to go to MIAMI today! Gonna hang with the fam!!!" The radio station offered praise for Roman on its Web site: "Erika was a wonderful, passionate, caring person and she will be missed greatly by all of her friends and family. "If determination had a face, it would look like Erika Roman . If passion had a voice, it would sound like Erika Roman . And if character had a touch, it would feel like Erika Roman ." According to the station's biography of Roman, she was born and raised in New York City and had been in the music business for more than a decade. In her late teens, she was taken under the wing of New York entertainment impresario Sal Abbatiello of Fever Records. She promoted nightclubs for Fever Records while attending Marymount Manhattan College in New York, where she earned a bachelor's degree in communications and media.

Greg Wolas   6-13-09 Greg Wolas, the overnight personality on  WHOO-AM 990 from 1973 to 1979. Greg became known for his kiddie show parody “Uncle Buckeye’s Kiddie Korner,” that aired in the last five minutes of his show. Sadly, Greg passed away yesterday, June 13, 2009 after a very long battle with the many complications of rheumatoid arthritis. Greg is survived by his wife Christine, sons Jason & Christopher of Deltona, and in Cleveland, Ohio brother Jerry and sisters Pat Miller & Antoinette.

Durkee stirred nostalgia on air By Virginia Culver The Denver Post Ray Durkee hosted "Sunday at the Memories" on KHOW in the 1970s. (Special to The Denver Post) Ray Durkee, a Denver radio personality for years, died unexpectedly June 28. Durkee died at his home in Bismarck, N.D., after suffering a heart attack. He was 70. Durkee was best known for his Denver show "Sunday at the Memories" on KHOW, where he played old tunes, old radio programs and even old commercials. The 1970s show was so popular that churchgoing listeners taped it because it was aired during church hours, said his ex-wife, Marilyn Ann Durkee of Denver. "Sunday at the Memories" was broadcast on 100 stations in the U.S. and Guam and even for oil workers in Saudi Arabia, his family said. Callers who weren't paying close attention sometimes thought the commercials he played referred to current prices. One time, he played a commercial that said a grocery chain was selling a pound of ground beef for 8 cents, said his son James of Denver. People raced to the store to get the bargain, only to be told that what they had heard was not the current price. For a time, Durkee broadcast from Tulagi, then a famous college dance hall in Boulder, and from the London House restaurant and ballroom on Colorado Boulevard. He had a program of oldies and broadcast two or three nights a week during the 1970s and 1980s, said Marilyn Ann Durkee. Ray Durkee had a day-in- history kind of memory, said his ex-wife. If someone asked him what date a certain musician premiered a song, Durkee could remember several other things that happened somewhere in the world on that same day. He retired from radio in the 1990s and then transferred all his vinyl and reel-to-reel recordings to CDs, his son said. Raymond W. Durkee was born in Aberdeen, S.D., on Aug. 27, 1938, and graduated from high school there. He attended Brown Radio Institute in Minneapolis and got his first job in Aberdeen. He then went to Bismarck, N.D., before moving to Denver in 1959. While at Denver's KTLN station, he piloted a small plane while giving the weather and traffic reports, said James Durkee. And giving those reports wasn't that easy because right below the cockpit was a wing, often obscuring his view of traffic. Durkee also worked for KOSI and KLZ. He joined KHOW in 1972. In addition to his ex-wife and son, he is survived by another son, John Durkee of Northglenn; daughters Robin Gayeske of Westminster and Raeanne Smith-Duca of Broomfield; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and his brother, Jim Durkee of Aberdeen. A great- grandchild preceded him in death.

Earl Finkle    7-3-09 Earl Finckle, 1927-2009: Charted area weather for years Wrigley, Comiskey among institutions that relied on Finckle's forecasts By Robert Mitchum  Chicago Tribune reporter July 6, 2009 With a homey sense of humor and a talent for forecasting the weather's fickle behavior, Earl Finckle became known throughout Chicago and the country as a reliable radio voice of rain-or-shine predictions. But with his private meteorological firm, Central Weather Service, Mr. Finckle also provided custom weather forecasts for a variety of local businesses and customers: groundskeepers at Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park, pilots planning a flight, cement and roofing workers concerned about rain and farmers tending to their crops. "If your forecasts are accurate, your clients come back," Mr. Finckle told the Tribune in 1991. Mr. Finckle, 81, died of kidney and heart failure Friday, July 3, in Highland Park Hospital, said Sylvia, his wife of 61 years. Mr. Finckle, who was born and raised in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood, fell into his career of weather forecasting almost by accident, his wife said. When he aced an entrance exam upon joining the Air Force, Mr. Finckle told his superiors he was interested in pursuing cryptography. But his mother's Russian citizenship and Cold War politics prevented that career, and he chose the next best thing: meteorology. After training and working for seven years in the meteorology department at Chanute Air Force Base near Rantoul in central Illinois, Mr. Finckle took a compassionate discharge to take care of his teenage siblings when his mother died, his wife said. But his meteorological career continued to bloom, first with private Chicago-area firms like Murray & Trettel, then with his own private forecasting business, Chicago Weather Service. When Mr. Finckle began his company, he rented a small hut without air-conditioning on the grounds of Palwaukee Municipal Airport in Wheeling, where he would calculate forecasts with pencil, paper and a protractor. Starting with a handful of private aviators who used the airport, Mr. Finckle attracted new customers through accurate forecasts and hard work, former co-workers said. "He was a real leader in the area of long-range forecasting. ... His forecasts could be very specific, and many times very dependable." said Wayne Peterson, who worked with Mr. Finckle for nearly 30 years. "It was something special." With radio stations in Chicago and as far away as Orlando and Maryland depending on his forecasts, Mr. Finckle would wake up at 3 a.m. to prepare his predictions and begin calling in forecasts peppered with colorful "Earlisms," his colleagues said. "Earl had a lot of personality," said Mark Rhein, a senior forecaster with Murray & Trettel who trained under and worked with Mr. Finckle. "He was bigger than life, a very professional, very interesting character that had a good sense of humor and a good wit." "The most rewarding part of this job is when you see a forecast come out right," Mr. Finckle told the Tribune in 1991. "Even better, though, is when you were right and everyone else was wrong." Mr. Finckle also is survived by two sons, Larry and Keith; a daughter, Judy; a sister, Lois; and six grandchildren; A brother, Leonard, preceded him in death. A graveside funeral service will be held at 2:30 p.m. Monday at Shalom Memorial Park, 1700 W. Rand Rd., Arlington Heights.

Phyllis Hartmann Passes   7-12-09 Phyllis Hartmann was an air personality at WDAT-AM 1590, WPUL-AM 1590, WGGG-AM 1230 and WZIP-AM 1590 in the 80's and 90's has passed. She lost her battle with cancer on July 1, 2009.

Annie Sommers Passes   7-27-09  Annie Sommers (Mari Ann Sollom) has lost her hard fought battle with ovarian cancer on Monday, July 27.. Annie worked in Orlando at WHTQ-FM 96.5, WOCL-FM 105.9, WHVE-FM 104.1, "Star 94.5" WCFB-FM 94.5 and WMMO-FM 98.9. Annie Sommers (Mari Ann Sollom) is that enthusiastic, warm and familiar voice heard on the air in many cities over the last 32 years. Annie has worked in almost every capacity in radio, from music director to program director and of course on-air talent. She started her long successful career in Minneapolis in 1977, and has been entertaining listeners in Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Pensacola and Sarasota. One of her signature shows was the widely popular "Sunday Acoustic Brunch", which she created and aired in Orlando, Tampa Bay and Sarasota. In the course of her career, she worked with many famous artists and was a big supporter of local music artists. She also was a firm believer in giving back to the community and could be seen lending a hand and voice at various community charitable events. Annie Sommers lost her battle with Ovarian Cancer, July 26th, 2009.

James "Jay Baby" Robinson   7-28-09 James “Jay Baby” Robinson passed away peacefully at his home in Winter Park, FL on July 27, 2009 at the age of 69.  Robinson was born in Perry, FL.  Jay Baby grew up in an era historically known as “race music” and throughout his life he was a key figure in promoting R&B music artists throughout the state of Florida.  As a young entrepreneur, he opened Jay’s Records in Orlando, and along with Soul Train Record, Platter Shack and Jazzette’s Music, these “mom and pop” retailers served the local community.  Jay’s Records provided a stage for the promotion of many great talents in their early careers, including James Brown, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Ike & Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Dionne Warwick, Buddy McKnight, Marvin Gaye, The Main Ingredient, Johnny Mathis, Ella Washington and many others. Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, July 30, 2009 at Stewart Memorial A.M.E. 1107 W. Hampton Springs Road, Perry, FL at 2:00 pm.  A public memorial service is also being planned in Orlando.

Mike Lyons    10-8-09 Michael G. Lyons, age 57 of Orlando, FL, passed away on Thursday, October 8, 2009. Michael is the son of Donald T. Lyons of Altamonte Springs and the late Gloria M. "Gerrard" Lyons. He is the brother of Douglas Lyons and his wife Julia Wooten of Seattle, WA; Deb Lyons and her husband Steve Jankowski of Belmar, NJ and John Lyons and his wife Helen of Jacksonville, FL. He is also survived by a nephew Felix Lyons of Seattle, WA and a niece Ashley Clark of Dothan, AL. Mike Lyons moved to Orlando from Kittery, Maine at a young age, graduating from Edgewater High School in 1970 He began his career in Orlando in 1971 writing for the city's first underground newspaper "The Watcher". He was Music Director and announcer for WORJ-FM 107.7, WDIZ-FM 100.3 and WHTQ-FM 96.5 in Orlando, Program Director for 98 Rock (WXTB) in Tampa and spent the last 8 years of his radio career as Mornings/Assistant Program Director in Miami. Mike entered the record business in the mid 90's. From 1995 - 2000 he was VP of AAA Promotions at Lee Arnold Marketing. Mike joined TripleARadio.com as columnist of The Forest and contributing editor from 2001 - Present. A private funeral service will be held. Contributions in Mike's name may be made to pancan.org, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245.

Clay Daniels   10-17-09  He cherished that old-time country sound Orlando Sentinel, The (FL) - Monday, October 19, 2009 Author: Jeff Kunerth, Sentinel Staff Writer In the 1970s, when country music competed with rock 'n' roll on the radio dial, Clay Daniels was the afternoon voice of WHOO-AM. Daniels, the son of an Alabama construction worker, joined the station in 1958 and was there when the station switched to rock in 1991. As a country DJ, Daniels had a silky voice, a Hee Haw sense of humor and a loyal following of listeners, who included a 24-year-old divorcee named Delight. "I thought he was the best-looking man I'd seen in my life," said Delight Daniels, 61, who first met Daniels after being the first caller to identify Kris Kristofferson as the person who wrote "For the Good Times." Clay Daniels died Saturday of cancer the day after he turned 72. During his radio days and long afterward, Daniels was lead singer and front man of the Clay Daniels Band. His singing style was reminiscent of Jim Reeves, said his wife of 29 years. "He had that golden gilt to his voice," she said. "He was so smooth and just effortless. He opened his mouth and the music came out." The Clay Daniels Band was often the opening act when country artists came to Orlando. Daniels opened for Marty Robbins, Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Jr., his wife said. Whether performing at the Cheyenne Saloon or the Town Pump in Orlando, the 100th anniversary of Lockhart at Lockhart Elementary School or the Florida Sunshine Opry in Eustis, Daniels knew how to get the audience out of its seats and on  to the dance floor. "He was always the entertainer. He kept the audience going," Delight Daniels said. In his later years, Daniels joined a couple of other friends to create The Three Amigos, who performed the "animal circuit" of Moose, Elk and Eagles lodges. Although Daniels appreciated other kinds of music, he remained true to country even after the genre departed from the roots of the Grand Ole Opry to the commercialized, pop-influenced performers of today. He liked Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson, but he preferred George Jones and Willie Nelson. "It was never as good as the good old days," she said. Through the years, Daniels was recognized by the Florida Country Music Association for his contributions as a DJ and performer, his wife said. But to her, Clay Daniels was never a bigger star than when he was on stage singing the Garth Brooks song "If Tomorrow Never Comes." He was singing to everyone, she said, but "he sang it right to me": And if my time on Earth were through, And she must face the world without me, Is the love I gave her in the past Gonna be enough to last? Besides his wife, Clay Daniels is survived by his son, Mitch Daniels of Montverde; daughters Michele Daniels of Evergreen, Ala., and Rachele Cumbie of Groveland; stepchildren Steven Smith of St. Cloud, Loree Reilly of Wellington and Jodie Pappenheim of Clermont; brother Burt Daniels of Foley, Ala.; sisters Bernice Lindsey of Mobile, Ala., and Louise Bond of Summerdale, Ala.; 11 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Bob Andrews Obituary from the Orlando Sentinel, 11/17/09 ANDREWS, BOB, age 81, of Leesburg, died Sunday, Nov. 15 at Hospice House in Tavares. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Liz Andrews; sons Robert, Jr. and Scott; daughters Lisa Morrison and Tina Jensen; step-sons Jim Yde and John Yde; step-daughter Karen Ozolonieks; ten grandchildren and  three great-grandchildren; brothers Tom Andrews, Ormond Beach, and Bill Andrews; Bartow, and sister Alice Harden, Orlando.   Bob was born in Eustis and graduated from Eustis High School. He served in the Coast Guard. He was well known in the radio industry in Central Florida for more than 60  years. He began his career at WLBE in Leesburg in 1949 and then worked at radio stations throughout the state. He returned to WLBE in 1980 where he served as host of the Breakfast Club until his retirement in August. A Memorial Service will be held at The First Presbyterian Church of Leesburg on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 at 11 a.m. with Reverend John Lodge officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Bob's name to Cornerstone Hospice or the Salvation Army. Condolences may be left at www.beyersfuneralhome.com. Arrangement entrusted to Beyers Funeral Home and Crematory, Leesburg, FL.

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