Lew Wendtland

I got the phone call from the boss this morning. Lew Wendtland, one of the station’s salespersons who was at the station the first day they flipped the switch on back in 1962, had passed away earlier that morning. It’s been coming for a while but it still hits you that first time your hear it. The past year and a half had not been kind to Lew. Believe me, he had the spirit. It was the body that failed him in the end.

I remember my first real experience with Lew. I had just joined WSJY back in the summer of 2008. I wasn’t there more than two weeks and I was going to do my show live from the Jefferson County Fair. I was still trying to learn the format and people’s names at that point. My first day wasn’t too bad. The second day, we were getting weather reports that strong winds were coming our way. I was in our tent with Lew and April, another salesperson. Things were going great until around 6pm. It was getting really dark on the horizon. I asked Lew what he thought and he said, “Its coming.” I made the call to shut the show down for the night because we had to batten down the hatches.

No sooner than we started to close up, the storm hit. We’re talking straight-line winds that made the tornado from The Wizard of Oz stand up and take notice. I grabbed a tent pole and held on to it so that we wouldn’t lose the tent altogether. Lew and April help down whatever equipment they could. This went on for seemingly forever until the winds stopped. I finally turned around and we were swamped. Papers and equipment were everywhere and Lew and April looked like drowned rats. The next day, I joined Lew on 940 WFAW’s morning show and had a good laugh at our misadventures.

He probably forgot more about radio than I’ll ever learn. He was from the old school. And working with him on the WFAW morning show was a treat. He had his own style went it came to delivering the sports. “The Birthday Game” was something to behold, as well. It was one thing to be listening to it on the air, but a whole other deal watching Lew go through all the postcards we get. And you can’t forget the “YEEHAW” he did at the beginning of every “Birthday Game” along with the bad puns. I can’t forget the “Friday Funnies” either. He’d clip comics out of the newspaper and read them on the air. I’ll never be able to read “Frank & Ernest” without thinking of him.

I read his obituary and I was amazed. This guy had led a life. Married for over 50 years, a World War II veteran, and a mainstay in the Jefferson County community. Any time I went out on a remote with him, he was like a rock star as people would come up to him and talk and Lew always had a smile and a joke for them.

I’m sad that he’s gone. The station, his family, friends, and everybody that knew him is sad that he’s gone. I wish that when my time comes that I can be remembered the same way Lew is being remembered. With lots of friends, family, and colleagues looking back with a smile on their faces and a twinkle in their eyes… just like Lew had.