John Grimes (former WCBS anchor) 6/27/05
Dear Don, I enjoyed going through the Newsradio Website and seeing the names of so many of the anchors, reporters, editors, engineers, et al. Each
prompted a memory or an image that brought a smile, a laugh, or a tear. There were
some I did not realize have passed on. For one, Pat Parson. If I may, I'd
like to send along a couple of names I did not see on the list. Remember George
Redding? I can still hear that wonderful voice. Another, a former class-mate
from the U of Miami, Joe Glover, who was among the early birds on
Newsradio--late sixties, maybe 68 or 69. And, I would like to include myself.
I came to Newsradio in early 1970 from WHN and stayed until mid 72 when I
moved over to ABC Radio.
My keenest memory of my time at "88" was a Saturday morning
in early 1972 when we broke format and went "live" with the hijacking of a TWA
jetliner. Irene Cornell and Pat Parson were on-scene reporters at JFK as hi-jacker
Gareth Trapnell bargained with the FBI and we carried a large portion of the
two-way exchange between the cockpit and the tower. Trapnell was eventually
shot, wounded, captured and jailed. I recently read he died in prison. I still have a tape of a portion of that morning that an alert "ops" person at ABC took time to record.
Hope all who might read this will consider it a warm "hiya" from me. Regards to all, John Grimes.
PS. I stayed at ABC until late 97, then was able to retire. I've been doing some free-lance voice-overs. I also did an old-time radio class for Marymount College using tapes and discs of Jack Benny shows, Fibber Magee and Molly, Amos 'n Andy and how radio covered World War Two. Folks seemed to enjoy it. Hope to be able to do it again elsewhere. Have done lots of travel that time wouldn't always allow while working. Life is good. John
