[what i do]
Author of St. Louis Advertising, founder of St. Louis Media History Foundation, and announcer at KMOX Radio from 1979 to 1983.
[why i’m good at it]
I’m patient, and I have a deep appreciation for what came before.
[local mad men]
The book is a pictorial history that follows the development of mostly print advertising in St. Louis from the 1830s into the 1980s, with insights into the art behind the ads and fun facts about the various products and services.
[the voices & faces of st. louis]
When I was a Press Club officer nearly 30 years ago, we decided to preserve the history of local media, with the downtown St. Louis Public Library as the repository. The expense of acquiring materials got to be too much for my personal budget, so we established a nonprofit foundation to raise money, oversee scholarships and establish a local Media Hall of Fame.
[family]
My wife, Barbara, and I have been married 16 years. My son Jeff, from a previous marriage, was smart enough to avoid a career in media and works in information technology in Chicago.
[childhood ambition]
As a kid, I thought it would be really cool to be an archeologist. You could explore stuff, dig in the dirt and get paid for it. But by the time I took a part-time job at a local radio station my freshman year at college, I had my sights set on KMOX.
[first job]
As a kid in Nashville, Ill., I worked as a paperboy and also picked up trash from an ice cream drive-in parking lot seven days a week.
[higher ed]
I graduated from Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., with a B.A. in economics. The year I turned 50, I got my master’s in mass communications.
[memorable characters]
Robert Hyland, who ran KMOX when I was there, is simply impossible to describe. Anne Keefe, who could out-cuss a Marine drill sergeant, was the mother hen at KMOX, and she helped even when you didn’t know you needed help.
[best advice i ever got]
John Sabin, longtime newsroom fixture at KMOX, taught me if you allow time to take its course, you’ll discover the solution to your problems.
[favorite movie]
My son and I have just about memorized the dialogue of The Blues Brothers.
[favorite restaurants]
We practically live at Eleven Eleven, with regular stops at Blues City Deli. When I’m flying solo, it’s Pappy’s or Peacemaker.
[if i ruled the world]
I’d try to convince governing officials to learn from the mistakes of the past instead of making them again and again.
[my kind of town]
The people of this region are its greatest asset. They can be a resilient force that overcomes the problems created by government.
[philosophy]
A worthwhile goal can serve as the best motivation to force us beyond our perceived capabilities.
[favorite vacation escape]
Anyplace my wife and son are, because there’s a lot of laughter and fun.
Photo: Bill Barrett
