The
past has been on my mind quite a bit over the past couple of days.
With the passing of Warren Medley, I have talked to quite a few of my
former co-workers at WDKN Radio. Many great memories were brought up
over the past few days – some I had forgotten about, and some I
never will. To be honest, it’s the most that I have gone down
memory lane concerning that time period of my life in a long time. I
guess you could say I have tried to distance myself from that era.
The closing of the station in 2009 knocked me for a loop in a lot of
ways, but I have written – and talked about that extensively over
the years. Common knowledge, you might say. But, over the past couple
of years, I have become friends with many of the staff there,
including Freeman, Kenneth, and have known people like Dale Turner
and Richie G for a few years. They are doing a good job for the
community. Life goes on, and I know I wouldn’t be who I am today
for those letters not being a part of my life.
I
had forgotten how much fun that job was to me. I had no idea that
when I walked into Jackie Rhodes’ office for the first time in
1991, that I would be blessed to have the career that I have enjoyed
so much. Whether it be the morning show, ball games, Old Timers’
Day broadcasts, or Swap and Shop, it was some of the best times of my
career – and life. I learned everything on the fly – which is
pretty rare. Hank Walker trained me on the board, Gordon Rhodes
taught me not to sweat the small stuff – and it’s all small stuff
in radio, and Ken Loggains showed me how to “Act like I’ve been
there before,” but most of my radio career was an on-the-job
education.
In
reminiscing about the past over the last few days, it’s occurred to
me how many of my best friendships or relationships I have made
because of working at WDKN, and later WNKX and WQSE. I was joking
with Kristy Owings the other night that some of the stuff that went
on behind the scenes needs to be in a book. And, some doesn’t. If
you’ve ever worked radio, you know that you find humor in some very
strange things. Hey, when you read funeral notices four times during
the first two hours of every day you need any lift you can get! But,
I am so mindful of people that made an impact on my life.....names
like Joe Webster, Dot & Dusty Rhodes, Earl McCollom, Bill
McCullough – whom we lost recently, Kip Reynolds, and others like
them. I will leave some out, so I am not going to list everybody I
think of. And, the listeners, names like Sidney Pullum, George Hall,
Polly Brown, and for years, my Thanksgiving Day didn’t start right
unless I had breakfast at the home of Mary Baker in Vanleer.
I
am humbled at what God has allowed me to do in my career. To be
honest, music is about the only thing I think I could do. Fix a car?
I can screw up putting air in a tire. Woodworking? If you ever run
into George Dufty, my Shop teacher – ask him about my expertise
with a saw. Get ready, because he’s going to laugh! I am very
blessed to be able to do a little radio still, and a lot of writing.
I don’t take it lightly. I’ve found over the past couple of
years, that I have become very competitive about it. I don’t like
it when another writer beats me on a story. I want to be in the mix
on every media day I can. Last summer, when I was in the hospital, I
turned in about ten stories that week. I am still trying to earn that
Billboard byline – but you won’t find anyone else with a stronger
fire than mine.
I
do wonder if that focus has cost me a little. I had dinner with one
of my longtime co-workers and his family the other night following
visitation for Mr. Medley. He and his wife were talking about knowing
all the lines of a Disney movie that their children have watched over
a hundred times. At that moment, I started to have a different
definition of what success meant than I had before. I have been
blessed to have been a father for the past seven years. Again, I
learned on the fly, and there are a lot of regrets I have about how
some of that has turned out. But, I haven’t done too bad. There are
some decisions I wish I had back, but you live and you learn. In that
moment, the interviews and the pictures I post on Facebook didn’t
seem to matter too much. Success was a lot different than I thought.
But,
on the way home, I did something rare- I cut myself some slack. I
realized that success is a relative term – to each person. I have
been blessed with so many great relationships – including a
soon-to-be 16 year old that calls me “Dad” that doesn’t have
to, families – blood, surrogate, and church, than I could ever
imagine, and a career that I absolutely love and cherish. No, it
hasn’t turned out like I thought so far, but that’s not to say it
won’t. Maybe that special someone is right around the corner. I
hope so. I want to write many more stories in my life, but I hope
there’s a little bit more to my story than that. Maybe it will work
out a little differently next time! But, in spite of those feelings
of doubt and fear, I look back on my life so far – and see a person
who is most richly blessed, and that qualifies as a success, I think.
If you’ve been a listener, a reader, or have listened to me through
some of those worries and fears, I thank you for being a part of my
story. Here’s to the best being yet to come!
