An Old Guy but New Experiences

     Yes, the Kornerman has enjoyed some new experiences in recent days. First, I attended my first Microphonies event.
     This group of mostly retired guys with longtime careers in radio and television meet in West Des Moines once a month at Wednesday noon. Former KWBG colleague Larry Kelley had attended in the past and had invited me a time or two to ride down with him. I finally accepted the invitation.
     By the way, even though we spell our last names the same, we are not and never have been related. In those good old days, we were neighbors up in the Crawford Street area.
     The event was very enjoyable. There were probably 20 or so in attendance and, of course, most were from the older generation and most from the D.M. Metro area. There were two ladies on hand, one who worked mostly in sales and another who did "on air" work.
     I had to smile.......most were very casually or less than casually dressed except for one guy who actually wore a suit coat. When the introductions were made, we discovered he was a former station manager, not a grunt. That stuck out like a sore you know what.
     In those introductions, one thing, that I was already aware of, was even more clear. Radio-TV is a very volatile business. I'd say, without exception, when the guys and gals introduced themselves and presented a little career background information, they listed three, four, maybe five or even six different organizations they had worked for.
     It seems there are always stations for sale, stations changing hands, changing formats, changing administrators and this results in numerous personnel changes. Of course its a very competitive business and the bottom line is trying to find what is going to work best.
     Anyway, it made me realize I had made a good decision when I had a good non-radio opportunity and grabbed it rather than "gamble my chances" in a profession I truly loved.
     The self intros, some good food and good conversation was about it...........90 to 120 minutes and we were gone. There were lots of good memories and lots of laughs. What more would you want.
     P.S. The food was good but the pizza looked exceptional. I had a cheeseburger but, upon sight, wished I had ordered the Italian offering instead. I will  next time.
     Mark Campbell was on hand so there were three ex-KWBG employees in attendance. Another, Mike Pace, has been known to attend, but not this time. Steve Locker appeared with a sweatshirt that read, "My Grandpa Gets Van and Bonnie on the Air Each Morning." Yes, he was a WHO morning engineer until recent retirement. A couple more well known folks in attendance were Peter McClain, who was a member of that KIOA gang that was so popular years ago and Phil Thomas, who I remember as a well known television news man on one of the metro stations.
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     Then too, we've seen the ads and Jo and I finally decided to invest in the Life Line screening program.
     It was held here in town and there were five main components checked........carotid artery, peripheral arterial (lower extremities), abdominal aortic aneurysm, atrial fibrillation and osteoporosis risk.
     There were those five stations visited, no pain involved and within a couple hours, maybe a bit less, everything was done.
     If a problem was noticed that might require immediate attention, you were informed. If not, you would receive the results of all the tests within a couple weeks. In my personal case, I went in knowing I had atrial fib and have been medicating it. A few days later, I received a call from Life Line informing me I had atrial fib. The caller said they just wanted to let me know in case I was unaware. They seemed happy to know I was already being doctored for that. Life Line will inform your local doctor of all the test results.
     I'm glad we did this. Seemed like a good preventive measure. Had never had carotid checked before and the other offerings seemed like reasonable things to keep tabs on.
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     Boone Connected Deaths: Marjorie Logan, 93, Newton. Boone area survivor is a son, Ed Logan,of Boone........Claudia Spindler Mohr, 82, Boone. Born in Boone. Parents were Claude and Charlotte Anderson. Was a ParaProfessional at a high school in Omaha. Boone area survivors include her son, Duane Spindler, a brother, Ed Anderson, and a nephew, Mark Anderson, all of Boone..........Wendell Marsh, 84, Columbia, MO (?)...........Ramona Fisher McNair, 83, Boone. Grew up on a farm near Stratford. Stratford H.S.. Taught at Madrid Elementary. Boone area survivors include her husband, Lee McNair, and step-daughter, Lisa Miller, both of Boone........Sheryl Miller, 51, Ames. Served as a teacher's aide at United Community.
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     Worldwide Korner headquarters are located at 710 Aldrich, Boone, Iowa 50036-4703. Phone number is 515-432-1530. To email your stories/memories/comments/support........
kelleyskorner1@gmail.com.