Another Passing

Another person of note passed away recently. Roger N. Wilson of Topeka, Kansas passed away. Now, most of you reading this have no clue who Mr. Wilson is and probably won’t care even after you’ve read this.
I didn’t know Mr. Wilson personally. I met him once and sat with him in a meeting in Wichita once. We interacted well, I thought. At the time he was living in Newton, Kansas and was the director of the historical society. Before that stint there, however, Mr. Wilson was a radio and television personality. I recall him giving the news on KFH radio in Wichita many years ago. He also did stints on television and on other radio stations.
His stories were concise and informative. His delivery and how he said his name at the end of his report became a classic signature. Having spent many years in broadcasting, I think I have an idea of what constitutes a good broadcaster. Mr. Wilson was one of the best in my opinion.
I don’t know about Mr. Wilson’s personal life. I don’t know why he moved to Topeka in late 2006 (I suspect he knew he was terminal and went home to die, but I don’t know that to be true). Mr. Wilson wouldn’t have recognized me had I met him again. But for some reason, I feel a loss that I am at a loss to explain.
Perhaps more than losing someone I knew about, maybe I feel a loss because this is one more disconnect of the past from my life. As it was when Kevin Craig died, this loss reminds me that I’ll never pass that way again. It also reminds me that I probably have never had a job that was more sheer fun than when I was in broadcasting. The money wasn’t good and neither were the hours, but I’ll ever and always relish and cherish those memories of late night maintenance, remote broadcasts, odd hours of work, video production, on-air chatter, responsibilities met, and I think a job well done.