The father of WKDZ and Kentucky Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame member Willie Wilson passed away early Thursday morning.
Wilson will be remembered for putting WKDZ-AM 1110 on the air on April 8, 1966, and later putting WKDZ-FM on the air in 1971. During a drive by birthday celebration earlier this year, Mr Willie shared his love and appreciation for the people of Cadiz and Trigg County.
Willie attended Cerulean School and graduated from Trigg County High School in 1947. He later studied electronics through DeForrest Electronics in Chicago, IL, and worked in the repair shop at Modern Radio Service in Hopkinsville, KY. He obtained his First Class Radio Telephone Operator’s License and began work at WPKY, Princeton, KY, in March 1950, as Announcer-Engineer. In February 1951 Willie enlisted in the United States Navy and served four years as a First Class Electronics Technician, repairing electronics equipment on many ships and working part-time at WTAR-TV.
After his honorable discharge in 1955, Willie returned to WPKY as morning personality “Uncle Willie” and performed various other duties, sports play-by-play, local news gathering and writing, advertising sales, and coverage of all community and school events. His visits to elementary school classrooms each week and his “Wake Up With Willie” morning show were the most popular of his years at WPKY (1955-1965).
Recognizing the need for instant communication in Cadiz and Trigg County, several community business leaders joined forces to establish a local radio station, and on April 8, 1966, Willie signed on the air at 11:00 AM, broadcasting his show for the first time on WKDZ from Will Jackson Road. As an original stockholder of Barkley Lake Broadcasting Co., Willie also served as General Manager of WKDZ until the station was sold in 1986. As an on-air announcer and morning personality, he was the voice of Cadiz and Trigg County for many years, keeping the community entertained and informed of all that was important. Willie was well-known and well-respected among his peers, and for his personal contributions to the broadcasting industry, he was inducted into the Kentucky Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2006.
While still serving in the Navy, Willie married the love of his life, Jo Ann Campbell, on May 23, 1954. They raised twin daughters, Donna and Deborah, and attended Cerulean Baptist Church where Willie was a lifelong member. As a deacon and former chairman, he led by example, teaching Sunday school since 1971 and lifting spirits with his voice as the song leader. His musical talents extended to the piano, which he occasionally played at church, as well as to his beloved banjo. Willie’s love for the Lord and for his family was evident in every aspect of his life, and he cherished his church family as much as his own. He was a man who loved to give, often sending cards and letters to celebrate the milestone events in the lives of many people in the community.
Mr. Willie always had a love for the community and would often send cards of congratulations to community members for life accomplishments or events.
Willie was inducted into the Kentucky Broadcasters Hall of Fame and was later named Trigg County Friend of Agriculture.
