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Post by John Quincy on May 16, 2005 20:42:09 GMT -5
I have learned that former WKLO DJ Rusty Rodgers (Evening jock 1976-1977, PM Drive DJ 1977-1979) passed away at his home on Saturday. He also worked part time at WAKY for a short time in 1979.
According to his cousin, Rusty had been having heart problems recently. When I tried to get in touch with him at WLKY-TV (where he worked as a director) a few weeks ago, he was out on medical leave.
Here are the viewing/funeral/burial arrangements:
Tuesday, 5-17: Viewing from 3-8 PM
Wednesday, 5-18: Funeral 11:00 AM at Hardy Close Funeral Home, 285 S. Buckman St., Shepherdsville, KY (502-543-6513).
The burial will be at Brookland Cemetery.
His cousin says, "Please say hello to Eddie (his father), Timmy (brother) and Myrna (his wife). "
We're fortunate to have examples of Rusty's WKLO work on the Airchecks page.
Rusty was also part of the 1991 WKLO Reunion on WDJX-AM, and we'll be posting more airchecks from that event in the near future.
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Post by GilHerbig on May 17, 2005 6:24:01 GMT -5
I was shocked and devistated to hear the news about Rusty. As one may gather I was a big fan of his and had the honor of him teaching me everything I know about broadcasting. He will be truley missed.
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Post by John Quincy on May 17, 2005 7:05:28 GMT -5
Former WKLO PD and DJ Gary Major remembers Rusty:
"I remember when Rusty came to WKLO first as newsman...then he became a jock. Always upbeat and happy in those days as a young broadcaster. He first worked with me and later as I disagreeistant when I became PD in Jan 78. He always went the extra mile, and was absolutely wonderful in any and all personal appearances. He represented the radio station well. "
Former WKLO DJ Tim England writes:
I found further confirmation in the online edition of the Courier Journal. I had to find another source to be a little more sure. Rusty had a sometimes "warped" sense of humor, and I guess I wanted to believe that he might just be pulling a fast one. Unfortunately, that's not the case.
RODGERS, EUGENE EDWARD, III, 50, of Louisville, died Saturday. Funeral: 11 a.m. Wednesday at Scharrer-Hardy-Close Funeral Home. Visitation: 3-8 p.m. Tuesday and after 9 a.m. Wednesday. (Published in The Courier-Journal on 5/17/2005.)
Footnote: Several months ago I sent Rusty the same pics I sent to you. He was really pleased to get the one of him and Steve. They were good friends, and it was Rusty who informed me that Steve had passed away from some kind of heart problem. Too young, both of them.
Former WKLO DJ Rip Rinehart writes:
The last time I saw Rusty was at least 25 years ago, and I remember him as a young, energetic guy with a bright future. He was also a genuinely nice person. My heart goes out to his family.
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Post by Tim England on May 17, 2005 7:11:09 GMT -5
This is very sad news indeed. Rusty and I worked together from 1977 to 1979. He was very funny on the air and very soft spoken off the air. A kind person. My last contact with him was by e-mail several months ago, and we met again in 1992 at the television station where he worked in Louisville. Rusty will be missed.
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Max
Junior Member
That's not the way it used to be!
Posts: 83
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Post by Max on May 17, 2005 8:24:05 GMT -5
While I don't have any particular memories of Rusty other than him being on the gateway spine of my WKLO album, it's always a great loss ESPECIALLY when we lose a jock who knew how it was done and knew how to strive for excellence. I am glad that he was still in the broadcasting business and my prayers go out to his family as they grieve his passing.
The first post identified his last station (TV) as WKLY-TV. Since he was listed as still in Louisville, I take it to mean WLKY (Channel 32). In any case, it's a sad day for his family as well as the station.
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Post by Travis on May 17, 2005 17:57:53 GMT -5
I met Rusty at the University of Louisville's campus radio station (WXKE) in 1974. WXKE was an AM carrier-current station, located at 570 on the dial, and could only be received on campus. Rusty was high energy and did a very wild show, but by this time many of the students were now into FM. WLRS had become well established and WQHI, better known as Hi95 (high 95) was born in April of that year introducing pop & disco to Louisville FM.
One night, Rusty and I had been out drinking and wound up back in the campus radio station around 2 AM. There was nobody there and WLRS, or possibly even Hi95, was being fed through the board. The station was always on the air and we soon found ourselves launching an impromptu radio show in the wee hours of the morning. My memory is vague on the details, but I do recall we did an extremely blue & vulgar show. We didn't really think anyone was listening, but after about 15 minutes the phone rang and a student in one of the dorms said, "Uh... you guys do know that you're on the radio, right?" DOH!!!
Rusty was running the board, and feeling no pain, put the caller through the board and continued the conversation over the air. He told the caller that this was all a dream, that we were not really on the air and that he (the caller) was not even on the phone. I don't know for how long this went on, but it was in true Rusty fashion and I believe Rusty even identified himself as the 'Dean' or somebody before ending the madness.
Somehow, Rusty's radio shows led to a position with WKLO as a... NEWSMAN??!! But, as I recall, he was quite good at it and it eventually led to his becoming the personality that most remember on WKLO & WAKY.
After getting the job as a newsman, Rusty introduced me to Gary Griffin (aka Jackson Smith on WKLO) who happened to be program director for Elizabethtown's WQXE. Gary went by the name of Gary Jenkins at Quicksie (as it was known, and still is) and gave me a job with that station. I've always been grateful to Rusty for the introduction, but have not seen him in over 20 years. Sad how we lose touch.
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Post by ScottThompsonWSZ on May 18, 2005 0:47:33 GMT -5
So often in life we don't get to tell folks how special they were to us....the party ends and we are left so empty....that has happened to all of us but tonight in the case of Rusty Rodgers, I realize I did tell him how special he was to me and I'd like to share with others why i believe he was the nicest guy I ever met in radio.......I am an SOB "Son of a Broadcaster"....as a kid age 11 in 1972 through my graduation from high school in 1979, I had the fortune to be "INSIDE THE ROPES" at the legendary WKLO radio becasuse my dad was the Sales & then GM of WKLO from 1971 till it's end in 1979. As a kid I was in awe of the radio business and specifically the folks who worked at WKLO. In the future I will expound on the stories and recollections of the Big 1080-but tonight a few words about Rusty-the nicest guy I ever knew in radio. It was the Fall of 1976 and I had the nepotism opportunity to anchor and produce the Friday Night High School football scoreboard show around Rusty Rodgers friday night show. Now keep in mind, I was the punk-jock-kid of the station GM and everyone knew a 16 year-old had no business talking on the radio of such a legendary station...but Rusty not only tolerated the forced feeding...he let me be his friend and showed me all the tricks and methods of the "craft" he was so good at. I was seguing carts, he was producing and coaching my on-air delivery and encouraging me to have fun and practice what I did. Over the next 3 years we formed a "disco-apperance-dance" company called Odyssey Productions, Rusty and I blew off flash powder in High School Cafeteria's, drove his jeep cj7 all over the 7 county metro to 4h dances, field parties and weddings, renting stuff from Doo-Wop and having fun doing all the cheap shows that came into the station cause Gary Major took all the high paying gigs (jest kidding Gary!!). Rusty Rodgers was the 1st real radio guy to show me how to be a real radio guy. He had great talent but he also had a passion for playing radio...I'm not sure when real life took over..... the sad part about radio relationships is the actual time you spend HAVING the fun is much shorter than the time you spend REMEMBERING the fun....some of us grow up, all of us grow old but Rusty always stayed with me, because he seemed to have so much fun on the radio. As the years passed, because of Rusty and alot of the folks at WKLO, I've continued to pursue radio and try to recreate the percieved enjoyment we all got from those WKLO momments. Ironically and fittingly, Rusty was the one WKLO guy I'd scene the most through the 80's and 90's. My continued radio work was with ABC radio sports at the KY Derby, Rusty would be doing some WLKY work at Churchill Downs, and most Derby weeks Rusty and I would have a short chat. He'd told me about a new wife, a divorce another new wife...oh yeah..one day he told me about a heart attack...he always looked good and always seemed interested and encouraging about my continued quest to "do radio like the old days". It was about 6 or 7 years ago that I ran into him at the mall when he owned a Cigar shop, we went and sat down for a sandwhich and it was that day I actually gushed about how much I appreciated his friendship and kindness to me in the late 70's, I remember he looked at me with those "really kind eyes" he had, kind of twisting his head from side to side like a bouncing puppy and saying something like, "..Ya..Ya...why don't you give me a job bubba?", he actually gave me a cigar, and tonight as I enjoyed a short fuente maduro, I was saddened at the thought I never gave him anything close to what he gave me...I just hope when he gets to rewind and look back at his short journey, he'll fondly remember the scene of the 2 KIDS in the picture studio window at 307 W Muhammad Ali Blvd on a fall Friday night in 1976, playing radio and trying to entertain the world...it's a momment that still inspires my pursuits and my life...Rusty-the nicest guy I ever knew in radio, I'll never forget you, I look forward to the day I see ya again. Scott
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Max
Junior Member
That's not the way it used to be!
Posts: 83
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Post by Max on May 19, 2005 13:59:14 GMT -5
Did anyone go to the funeral or visitation?
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RJC
New Member
Posts: 36
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Post by RJC on May 19, 2005 14:24:53 GMT -5
As I said on the WAKY board, I barely remember Rusty on WKLO, but have vivid memories of him on WLRS, when he did late mornings( I heard my first ever song by the band Traffic on Rusty's WLRS show). When I listened to him on the WKLO reunion in 1991, I had hoped that he would get back on radio. From listening to his airchecks, and hearing him on LRS, he seemed to have fun, but took his job serious, he will be missed.
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gmam1080
New Member
Gary Major last PD of WKLO
Posts: 6
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Post by gmam1080 on May 19, 2005 15:42:24 GMT -5
I went out to the funeral home on Tuesday evening. Spoke with his father. I had not seen Rusty since 1979, but wanted to make sure his family knew what a good dude he was. Scott Thompson's piece is a wonderful reflection on our memories of Rusty.
Rest in Peace Rusty
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Post by Travis on May 20, 2005 7:48:49 GMT -5
I'm thinking that Rusty did not go from U of L's campus radio station to WKLO News, alone. Does anyone recall if Steve Bowles also did news on WKLO? I remember Steve doing news on the Kentucky Network, but I think he started at WKLO.
Another name is surfacing. It seems to me that Tim Hurst was a jock on WKLO in the late '70s and Rusty may have had a hand in getting him on since they had worked together at the campus radio station.
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Post by Myrna Jane on May 20, 2005 23:17:11 GMT -5
Rusty and I were married in November of 1990. He was my soulmate and one of the most innovative and giving persons I have ever met. Although we divorced, we still stayed together until the end. He had very serious heart problems, and other health problems which were causing him much pain. He fell asleep in a chair last Friday night after not feling well. The next morning, he was gone (peacefully in his sleep). Reading all your e-mails on this website has brought me much comfort - and I hope he realized what an impact he made in this community. He loved his radio days when impromptu was what is was all about.
I thank Tim Hurst and Joel Timothy for being here with me.
I love you, Rusty. Myrna Jane
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Post by Travis on May 21, 2005 12:03:49 GMT -5
Thank you for writing, Myrna. I moved to Florida in '89, so we have never met. I've been in touch with others who knew Rusty, and your post just answered the questions they asked. Memories of Tim Hurst just recently surfaced. Please inform him of this site (if he's not aware of it, already). Take care.
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Post by Steve C on May 27, 2005 8:18:35 GMT -5
Back in 1982 I attended the Communications Institute, An enterprise that Chris Phillips (former WAMZ jock/WHAS weatherman) attempted to both make money and teach the industry to some eager kids. Mark Stahr (Production mgr @ WTFX, among others) went there at the same time. We were lucky enough to have Rusty as our teacher. He was working at WLRS at the time and was a big hero in my eyes from his WKLO days. Rusty was a great guy, he took his time with us and gave us what we needed to get into radio. Congrats to Mark for sticking with it....... I wish I could have stayed in touch with Rusty so I could have let him know how much he inspired and helped me. He will be missed.
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Post by LM on May 27, 2005 18:26:46 GMT -5
I too went to the Communications institute in '82. Withou Rusty's guidance, I may not have had the fairly successful radio career that I have had. He was a funny, talented, sweet man. Much of his brilliance went unappreciated. His life wasn't always easy. I wish he knew how important he was to so very many of us.I'll never forget the funny tall man in the pink high tops. God bless Myrna and his family and all of us who had a room for him in the mansions of our hearts. Leesa
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