He Was There September 2, 1974

Joe Anthony, as he was known on the air, was one of the original crew on the Radio Home Visitor, our radio reading service for the blind. We are a "main channel" operation, so anyone with an FM radio can listen: visually impaired, elderly, home bound, lonely. We are there for all.

Joe was there from Day One on this, the oldest FM broadcast. He even remembered the first piece he read that day nearly thirty-six years later.

He passed away last Friday at the age of 54 due to a rare blood disease and complications. Much too early, as we reckon it, but disease or accidents do not follow the same calendar as our expectations. The plane goes down, cancer cells form, you don’t look both ways before crossing the street; life is a toss of the dice sometimes.

We began the Radio Home Visitor with no expectation it would last more than two weeks. I remember saying, “If we can get this to go more than two weeks, then it will run forever.” Well, it hasn’t been forever, but we will hit 36 years in a few months. Joe was there at the start and if he were in town Sept. 2, he would be here then.

It’s an odd feeling, losing one of the originals. We’ve lost student crew members before; not many, but one here and there. Illness, Army fatality, something else. They came, did some time and left the show. A few itinerant adults have passed on, as well. But no original students who stuck with us. I hope his spirit hovers over us.