Category Archives: Friends
Spring on the Prairie Garden Trust
A perfect spring day on the Prairie Garden Trust.
Jeff Wheeler (1942-2015)
Jeff Wheeler died last Friday. In 2002 a massive stroke left him unable to speak or walk and he spent the past 13 years in an assisted living facility in Kennett, MO.
When I applied for a job at KBOA in 1972, Jeff set me up in a studio with some copy and a tape recorder for my audition tape. I got the job and he showed me what I needed to know to work at a small town radio station. We worked together for most of the next dozen years.
I never met anyone who knew more about music. He built and maintained a huge record library (with double-entry card catalog) for the radio station. Like many in markets that size, Jeff did everything: DJ, news, sports, commercials, etc.
The stroke that took Jeff’s voice (and mobility) left his cognition in tact. He understood what other said to him, he just couldn’t respond.
A few weeks (?) after his stroke, Jeff’s wife died suddenly of cancer. That, my friends, is some Old Testament shit. I doubt anyone knows how Jeff really felt about the hand he was dealt ‘cause Jeff wasn’t talking. Never again.
His daughter and brother-in-law got in touch to see if I had any recordings of Jeff. Like a lot of radio guys, Jeff never got around to saving air checks and such because, well, he thought he’d always be working in radio.
I found an hour-long “History of KBOA” Jeff produced in 1976 and pulled out 4 minutes they played during his funeral. First time in 13 years anyone had heard Jeff’s voice. First time ever for a few, I suppose.
What you could hear in those few minutes was how much Jeff loved what he was doing. How much he liked talking on the radio. And you could hear how painful it must have been these last 13 years to be unable to utter a word.
But he’s back on the air now. Somewhere. Probably. Doing play-by-play, the county spelling bee, Trading Post, the Hometown News. Never sounded better.
Taisir Yanis dancing (Do your hair!)
Contact Sheet
The images below were scanned from an old (1973-74?) contact sheet. Pretty sure the photos were were taken by Larry Thomason at one of the frequent poker nights he held in a small house (think “man cave”) in his parent’s back yard. Larry printed a few shots from this particular night but most of these never made it off the contact sheet. I’ve left them in that format because 1) I like it and 2) it was Larry’s call as to what he wanted to print and he’s gone now and I can’t ask him.
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- Barb and Jan
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- Barb and Jan
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- RP, Steve and Barb
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- Richard Peck
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- John Robison
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- Steve Mays
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- Steve Mays
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- Buddy Peck & John Robison
Charlie’s Mix-Tape
Want to take your music with you? Then you’re gonna have to work for it. This is Charlie making a mix-tape back in 1974. Amp on the left. Turntable in the middle. Two-deck cassette recorder on the right. When the cassette if full, there was a “high speed” dubbing mode so you could crank out extras for friends.
Don and Suzy at The Shilo Lounge
Don and Suzy Akers performing with their band, Scandal, at the Shilo Lounge in Kennett, Missouri. July 1981
Bob Priddy honored
Bob Priddy is the best journalist I ever met and one of the best people I’ve known. He was the guest of honor last night at an event in Columbia, MO. Bob is retiring in a month or so, after 40 years as the news director of The Missourinet.
The event was cooked up Senator Claire McCaskill and Clyde Lear, the guy that started the company Bob worked for and it was, as they say, a special night. There was a great tribute video that I hope makes it to YouTube so I can share it here.
I started working with Bob and Clyde in 1984 and was very proud to do so, as you can see from this photo. I had just come from a small town radio station and getting to work with Bob Priddy at “the network” was my idea of making it.
I (sort of) tried to recreate that photo last night but in the excitement of the evening, I got the order wrong. No matter. Still proud to call these two men my friends.
Charlie Peters
Charlie Peters died this morning. Cancer got him. It got him and wouldn’t let go. Today he escaped. He was 53. Charlie and I worked together for almost 30 years. We didn’t socialize but I thought of him as a friend. A whole bunch of folks thought of Charlie as a friend. There’s probably somebody, somewhere that didn’t like Charlie but I never encountered that person. Charlie was the kind of person most people want to be. I guess I can’t really say that. He was the kind of person I would like to be.
Someday all the people that knew and loved Charlie will be gone. He — like the rest of us — will become a twig on a family tree somewhere. If some early 22nd century artificial intelligence stumbles upon this post, what would I like for it to know about Charlie? (I’m assuming smart machines of the future will eradicate every trace of Facebook)
Charlie was smart. The kind of smart that can understand and fix just about anything with parts. For most of the last 30 years he was in charge of engineering and technical service at the company we worked for. He was a huge factor in the success of the company.
He had fighter pilot nerves. I never saw him panic, even when the situation clearly called for panic. Charlie had that inherent confidence that he could fix just about any technical problem. And he could.
Charlie was quiet. He knew how to listen without offering an opinion. But when he did speak it was usually direct. Straight to the point. He’d just say what the rest of us had been tip-toeing around. Plop! Right in the middle of the conference table.
Charlie’s rock put a lot of warm, gentle ripples in the pond.
Charlie remembers The Big Dish Drop (video)
Game Day 2005, following completion of new sports operations area (3 min)
Gaylon Watson’s interview with Rocky Marciano
Most radio guys (I’m talking pre-1990) have lots of “Brush With Near Greatness” stories. I know I do. Some famous or almost-famous celebrity or performer they interviewed back-stage or who came by the station. Shoot, it’s a big part of why most of us got into radio. My new pal Gaylon Watson recalled interviewing Rocky Marciano.
Marciano was the World Heavyweight Champion from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only person to hold the heavyweight title and go untied and undefeated throughout his career. I find this story noteworthy because Marciano was reduced to refereeing cheesy professional wrestling matches at the VFW in Kennett, MO. I can only assume he beat the shit out of his agent.