Eddie Graham, R.I.P.

 

From Richard Robinson:

 

"Dear Bud:

 

I regret to have to tell you that my father in-law, Eddie Graham, died around 1:15 this morning (July 19^th) at Baptist Medical of Arkadelphia.  He had been hospitalized since this past Tuesday and was under hospice care.  I will send you an obituary to post on the blog site. After his wife’s death December 6, 2021, Eddie was diagnosed a few months later with vascular dementia.  We moved him to an assisted living facility in Arkadelphia, where he lived for 11 months before falling and breaking his hip.  After surgery and a rehabilitation hospital stay, he was moved to a nursing home in Arkadelphia. 

 

Of course we are all deeply saddened to lose him, we know that he is no longer suffering (the last few weeks were difficult) and with his beloved Carolyn.

 

I just wanted to let you know.  Please keep the family in your prayers as we grieve our loss.  Thanks, Bud. 

 

Best,

 

Richard"

 

Obituary: " Lloyd Edward "Eddie" Graham, age 87, of Arkadelphia, passed away from this life on Friday, July 19, 2024, at Baptist Medical Center in Arkadelphia.  He was born September 28, 1936 in Arkadelphia, the son of the late Osha Waldon and Lucy Francis Graham.  Eddie was a 1955 graduate of Arkadelphia High School.  He worked in the broadcast field for many years with KTHS, KAAY, KLRA, KVRC and KDEL radio stations.  Eddie began his career as a control board operator, also as production manager, salesman, sales manager and as the owner of KVRC-KDEL from 1985-2002.  He was a member of First United Methodist Church and the Upper Room Sunday School Class.  Eddie was a member of the Arkansas Broadcasters Association, Clark County Fair Board, Arkadelphia Rotary Club and the Arkansas Advertising Federation.  He enjoyed hunting, fishing, wood working and just tinkering in his spare time.  Eddie was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Carolyn Lancaster Graham, four brothers, Hoyle, Ewing, Orvil and Jim, three sisters, Burva, Myrtice and Mildred.

 

Survivors are one daughter, Fran Robinson (Richard) of Martin, TN, two sons, Douglas Graham (Margaret) of Evergreen, CO and Larry Graham (Robyn) of Milton, FL, five grandchildren, Maddie, Landin, Bailey, Aaron and William Graham.

 

Funeral services will be held at 2:00PM Thursday, July 25, 2024 at First United Methodist Church with Rev. Zeke Allen officiating.

 

Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 2:00PM Thursday at the church.

 

Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, 107 N. 9th St, Arkadelphia, AR 71923.

 

Pallbearers will be he grandsons and the ushers of First United Methodist Church.  

 

Final arrangements are entrusted to The Welch Funeral Home of Arkadelphia. Visit www.welchfh.net to sign the guest book.

 

To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Lloyd "Eddie" Graham, visit trees.sympathy.shop "

 

Eddie Graham has been mentioned sevral times here and Richard and I have discussed his father-in-law a few times.  Our prayers are with these families.

 

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com) 

Obituary for Charlie Scarbrough

 The link to Charlie's obituary is

https://ruebelfuneralhome.com/obits/preview.php?id=3403&p&search&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2AW5OW6AwbI14BtTL03UGF9FTjXfTnQ6VooLR6lewF2tVZM9pnNq8nb8k_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw#ontitle

 

 Here is the obituary as it is listed at the time of this posting:

Charles Wade Scarbrough Jr.

Oct 28, 1942 - Jun 1st, 2024

• Birth Date: Oct 28, 1942
• Death Date: Jun 1, 2024
• Funeral Date: Jun 12, 2024, 10:00 am
• Location: Ruebel Funeral Home, 6313 W Markham St, Little Rock AR 72205
• Print this Obituary

Biography:

When Charlie Scarbrough spoke, people listened.

Those who knew and loved Charlie are familiar with his trademark baritone, and they’ll tell you that he was never at a loss for words. For more than 50 years, he was also one of the most widely heard Arkansans to legions of TV and radio audiences across middle America and beyond who probably never knew his name, but nonetheless enjoyed the soothing timbre of his voice on countless commercials.

Charlie’s life ended peacefully on Saturday, June 1, at a Little Rock inpatient hospice facility following a recent decline in his health. He was 81.

Charles Wade Scarbrough, Jr., was born October 28, 1942, in Pine Bluff, the son of Charles and Doris Scarbrough. He graduated from Pine Bluff High School and went on to study accounting at the University of Arkansas, where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He proudly recalled marching in two Sugar Bowls playing snare drum with the Razorback Marching Band, which sealed a lifelong devotion to Razorback athletics.

After revealing a secret desire to be on the air, Charlie left the university to enroll at the Keegan School of Broadcasting in Memphis, which offered “complete courses in radio and television theory, radio writing, and radio announcing.” In October 1963, Charlie’s on-air career began as a disc jockey at WTUP in Tupelo, MS before returning to Arkansas in 1964 for on-air roles at Little Rock’s KALO, KMYO, KARN, and the far-reaching KAAY, earning years of successful ratings. During his late-night slot at KAAY, listeners from as far away as England, South America, Latin America, and Canada knew him by his on-air name “Charlie King.”

In the mid-70s, Charlie was an industry pioneer when he transitioned to freelance voice work for TV and radio commercials, the first Arkansan to do so full-time. His experience, ingenuity, and vision helped to grow a burgeoning media production scene in Little Rock through his work with several recording studios, where he was known and admired for his professionalism, a sometimes cantankerous nature, and offbeat sense of humor.

In 1974, he teamed with KARK reporter Bob Joblin to create a report for the April Fools’ Day newscast in which Charlie posed as Thurwood Crediscraw, third-generation marshmallow farmer. During an interview in a marshmallow field, the farmer lamented the harmful effects of wet weather and government action on that year’s crop. Plucking one off the vine for a taste test, Crediscraw reported, “It’s a little ripe, they’ll be all right tomorrow.” Viewers flooded the station with calls seeking more information on how to grow their own marshmallows.

His talent, marketing abilities, and professionalism drew respect and recognition from peers, national advertising accounts, plus numerous industry accolades culminating in an American Advertising Federation Lifetime Achievement Award. If you listened to television or radio in the U.S. from the mid-60s and through the late 2010s, you’ve heard Charlie Scarbrough a lot more than you know.

Charlie was a fan of anything involving transportation. He would occasionally take in the American landscape on a train ride from Little Rock to Los Angeles, taxi from the train station directly to the airport in LA, then fly back to Little Rock. He was an avid follower of the Clan MacDuff Society and traveled to Scotland many times to attend society events.

Charlie is survived by his nephew James Randolph Zook, Jr., his wife Frances, and their children Jack and Will of Oxford, MS; niece Catherine Zook Baker, her husband Michael, and their children John Riley, Thomas, and Elizabeth of Fayetteville; and nephew Charles Scarbrough Zook, and his wife Kelly Simon; and several close cousins and a great community of friends. Charlie is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Susan Scarbrough Zook of Little Rock.

Charlie’s family is grateful for the love and support from family and friends in recent weeks. In particular, the family would like to thank the staff at The Manor Assisted Living Facility as well as the staff at the Arkansas Home Hospice Comfort Care Center in Little Rock. Memorials may be made to Arkansas PBS, 350 S. Donaghey, Conway, AR 72034 or call (800) 662-2386.

The family will host a visitation Wednesday, June 12, at 10 AM at Ruebel Funeral Home in Little Rock with a memorial service to follow in the same location beginning at 11 AM. There will be a private interment. Arrangements under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com

 

Charlie Scarbrough, R.I.P.

 We have just received this sad news:

It is with profound sadness that I am writing to inform you of the passing of my uncle Charlie Scarbrough. Charlie was the older brother of my mother Susan. He was Charlie Scarbrough to the rest of the world, but he was always “Uncle Bubba” to me and my two siblings.

Mom passed away on June 3, 2016. She and Bubba were very close, so after her death I began to check on him regularly. He and I became closer than ever before over the last eight years.

After dealing with a cascade of health problems during the past couple of years, he entered hospice care last Tuesday.  The nursing staff told us Friday they thought the end of life was near for him, so before we went home Friday evening I created a playlist for him and left it on repeat. It was just him and the music all night long.

Charlie Scarbrough passed away very peacefully just before 2 PM on June 1st.

We are aiming to get his obituary submitted by Wednesday. I will send you a copy. His service will be in Little Rock on Wednesday, June 12th at Ruebel Funeral Home on W Markham. Visitation is at 10 AM. Service is at 11 AM. Interment will be private. The obituary should appear in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette by Thursday or Friday and again on Sunday.

I greatly appreciate your blog posts. They are very helpful to me as I work on his obituary and service arrangements. Thank you so much for documenting and writing so much about a man who has been a very good uncle and friend to me for well over 50 years.

Sincerely,

Charles Scarbrough Zook (Little Rock Arkansas)

Here is Charlie's last playlist:  

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/charlie-scarbrough/pl.u-8aAVMR1sAvVKp

Our deepest condolences go to Charlie's extended family --- he will be missed!

Another Wayne Moss Aircheck from Michael Lovejoy and Tony Warner

 Gleaned again from Facebook, thanks!

https://soundcloud.com/mike-daniel-798870861/kaay-1090-am-wayne-moss-little-rock-ar-aug-9-12-1971?si=102c5e9dc07c4dc5a03401b41188fce1&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing&fbclid=IwAR2VYnFqjA2y5EKVkWDhbn2Z4p5sHdl-bUgGKO8rXKgUCv2MVAiAYqHtWvw

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Aircheck Of Wayne Moss & Phil North, from Michael Lovejoy

 Originally posted on Facebook, here is what Michael Lovejoy says is two hours of audio...enjoy!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Do7rFO7-g6NBeoOzWKxFo-Yklcd1KYWw/view?fbclid=IwAR2bKf7Tjh-Z_HhAQDjNcapRCq2NHpCCexLstxAvQW-_fB4xhNEvxGNjKT4&pli=1

Thanks, Michael!

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Current State of the KAAY Transmitter Building?

 TThis seems to be the current state of the transmitter building sometime in February 2024.  Felix would be apoplectic.  Thanks to Michael Lovejoy on Facebook.

I promise I Will Return!

 Dear visitor, I know I haven't been here in quite a while.  What with work, health concerns, life in general and lack of time, I have been negligent with the blog.  I haven't gotten any contributions from anywhere, it all seems to be going to a like page on Facebook...but that's partly my fault, too, I haven't had time to scour the world-wide web.  I am gearing up to try and get "back in the game".

Thanks go to Dave S. for continuing to maintain this tribute blog, and to Barry Mac for continuing to donate his time and programs.  Barry was able to get a treasure trove of recordings from the old transmitter site before it all got dumped into oblivion, and has done a fantastic job of downloading the audio and sharing it here.

Looks like since most of the material is being placed at Facebook, I will be gleaning stuff from there as well, and I think I'll be able to place a link here on the blog that will lead you to more audio than ever before!

With that, here I go...I will do my best to catch up!

Best regards,

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)