Page 154 - Winterling's Chasing the Wind

CHAPTER 49 - Memories of a Lifetime

Having spent my younger years on New Jersey’s eastern shore, my interests centered
both on rural life from south Jersey and the metropolitan world adjacent to north Jersey,
I witnessed the 20th century growth of communication and travel as I listened to New
York’s Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia read the comics on the radio, studied the photo-filled
New York Daily News and watched sky-writing airplanes spell Coca-Cola in the blue
skies over Manhattan. Having moved to a different kind of city in northeast Florida, I
saw evidence of a bygone era where there were decaying waterfront docks that once
moored river-cruising steamboats. I witnessed the rails of former streetcar lines and
rode in the Motor Transit Company’s buses, even one that was a mini-bus that had been
used at the New York World’s Fair. Downtown had many historic buildings that
reflected the architecture that northern cities preserved, but in the attempt to grow into a
bold new city many were demolished to either showplace modern 20th century
windowed structures or replaced stores and offices with a multitude of parking lots. But
Jacksonville still looked to the future by building an efficient Expressway system
before Eisenhower’s interstate highways.

My world expanded through military service, college and government service where I
enjoyed sharing life experiences with hundreds of colleagues who moved to other
places, most of whom I usually saw again in my memorabilia, or with my memory. By
choosing a career in broadcast meteorology that lasted more than 50 years, my life was
enriched by never seeing a stranger. Everywhere I went people talked with me about
their family, growing up with me and of their departed family members that always
gathered in front of the TV at suppertime.

Looking back at highlights of my 50 years with WJXT, I felt honored to a part of
outstanding News Anchor teams. Originally, I was part of the Evening News with
News Director Bill Grove and Sportscaster Dick Stratton. Through the years, Channel
4 News had more viewers than all other local TV stations as a result of breaking
investigative news reports between 1963 and 1990. Again I felt privileged to be a part
of one of the nation‘s longest-running local news teams with Tom Wills and Deborah
Gianoulis and sportscast Sam Kouvaris.

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