NPR’s Garrison Keillor used to open his weekly “Prairie
Home Companion” monologue by reporting, “it’s been a quiet week at Lake
Wobegon.” For Houston Radio fans and professionals, it’s been several weeks of
woe as we’ve had to say goodbye to familiar and beloved voices.
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| Paul Berlin (Photo: HouChron) |
Paul Berlin was the voice many Houstonian’s listened to
for decades on KBME, KNUZ and KQUE. His popular mix of Big Band and pop music
standards from the 50’s thru the 70’s stood the test of time, while other Radio stations' formats seemed to change on a predictably regular basis. Rebroadcasts of
The Paul Berlin Show on KSEV outlasted their originator, and are still aired
each Saturday night.
Paul Berlin was 86 when he passed away in June. He was
married to his wife, “Nezzie,” for 53-years until her death. Berlin’s Radio
career spanned six decades.
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| Randy Schell (Photo: FaceBook) |
Earlier this weekend we were stunned to learn long time
Houston voice actor and Radio production wizard, Randy Schell, had been killed
in a skydiving accident. He collided with another jumper after his parachute
had deployed, but his canopy collapsed and he plunged to his death near
Pearland, Texas.
Most people knew Randy as the voice behind AMC’s “The Walking
Dead” series, and was also the voice of national brands like McDonald’s,
Coca-Cola, and Geico Insurance. I knew him as the loving husband of longtime Radio
maven, Donna McCoy.
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| Mstt Patrick (Photo:Facebook) |
Not 30-hours later came news of the passing of KTRH
Morning Show host Matt Patrick, who had earlier this week told his audience
that he was discontinuing treatment for cancer. Described as a “morning Radio
staple” for decades in the Akron, OH market, Patrick had hosted news-talk shows
in Houston for iHeart Radio since 2011, capping a 40-year run in Radio.
He was 58.
He was 58.
There are lessons we can draw from the lives of these men
who left their indelible marks on this market and our hearts. Each of them had
discovered he secret of dying happy—doing what they loved, and deriving great
satisfaction from performing a job well done. Each of them developed lasting,
personal relationships—not only with their spouses, but with their audiences.
They loved Houston Radio listeners, even as they were loved. And each of us,
like each of them, will one day also make a final passage from this life to the next.
So it has been a sad several weeks for the Houston chapter
of Lake Woebegon, “where all the women are good-looking, all the men are
strong, the children-are all above-average…” and the Radio industry is morning
three of its favorite sons.
A public memorial service for Paul Berlin is planned
for 10:30am July 25 at South Main
Baptist Church, 4100 Main St., in Houston, Texas. Funeral arrangements for
Randy Schell and Matt Patrick had not been announced at this writing.
May God bless each of these families as they mourn the passing of their loved ones and celebrate their lives well-lived.
