Larry Edwards WDVH

Saturday's (August 24) Making Strides Against Cancer event at Northeast Park in Gainesville is expected to draw about 1,200 participants. Among the striders will be Denise Ellis, a young Gainesville mother who is fighting melanoma, and Larry D. Edwards, a cancer survivor who initiated the first Strides campaign here in 1993.

Registration for the American Cancer Society event, at Northeast Park, begins at 7:30 this morning -- there's a $10 fee for individuals -- followed by opening ceremonies. Then at 9 a.m. the move-along-a-thon, which allows participants to walk, run, skate, rollerblade or ride in their wheelchairs, will be led off by the University of Florida Lady Gators basketball players. Team members will run the route as part of their preseason conditioning.

Ellis, the 27-year-old mother of two young children, plans to walk the route in support of the cancer society and other cancer survivors.

"I want to help the cause of the American Cancer Society and I want to let other cancer patients know they can make it through whatever they are going through," said Ellis.

Ellis, a participant in a Melanoma Tumor Cell Vaccine Trial at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, recently underwent additional surgery for removal of cancerous lymph nodes and is nearing completion of a course of radiation treatment. She also will take Interferon for a year to try to boost her immune system. Ellis' monthly trips to Santa Monica for shots, which were put on hold by this last surgery, and subsequent radiation treatments, will resume in a couple of weeks.

"We're hanging in there," she said about her family. "I actually feel pretty good."

Edwards, a businessman and former radio station owner, has had several bouts with cancer and brain tumors and has come out a victor.

"I had a bout with cancer in 1983 and 1992 and it came back and saw me again last year. I completed all the radiation Aug. 1, 1995, and since then I've had three checks, every 90 days, and so far everything has been fine. There have been no new 'hot spots,'" Edwards said.

"I've been a very fortunate person. I'm so fortunate to live in a community that has such tremendous medical help and care, and then to have the American Cancer Society with the work that they do to educate and raise money to work toward annihilation of this dreaded disease," said the 59-year-old Edwards.

Before the move-along-a-thon begins today, participants will have an opportunity to hang a star on the designated "Tree of Life" in memory of someone who has died of cancer, or to honor a cancer survivor.

Striders will end up back at Northeast Park, where a light lunch will be served and prizes and other awards will be presented. Participants also will be able to receive massages to help soothe away any aches and pains after the five-mile trek.

This annual event, which is sponsored by area businesses, is intended as a celebration of life and survivorship, and is designed to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

I wanted to send a brief note about how Larry and I met --the first time was when I was with George at the river and the tower fell. When we reached the station, I had my hair up in rollers and had on a culottes dress (anybody remember those). That is when I was informed that "teeny boppers" shouldn't be hanging around. Well - the next day, Larry was having coffee at the counter in the Flagler restaurant (now the Holiday Inn University), where I worked as Director of Sales.. I happened to see him and strolled over and sat down beside him. Asked the usual questions, as to health - plans for the day, etc. He in his full Nashville attire (always a suit) said he was going to do record inventory. I excused myself for my brashness and suggested something more comfortable since he would be getting hot & dirty--he said he would be fine. Finally, he stood to leave, looked at me and said "Do I know you? You seem to know a lot about me." I told him I was the "teeny bopper" he had admonished the night before -- and in spite of everything I would probably see him again at the station. He overly apologized and said his good-byes.

I regret that I didn't spend a lot of time getting to know Larry or keep in touch with him over the years. My talents and interests were focused on the programming part of broadcasting. Larry's were on sales and other business aspects. I imagine that someone, somewhere must have received a tongue-lashing from Larry but I never did even though I certainly deserved it! Even the time that I killed the transmitter, causing an entire day's loss of advertising revenue, he never said a word to me. I knew that I had screwed up royally. He sensed that I was aware of the impact of my carelessness and that my embarrassment was punishment enough. Larry was a true gentleman and first-class leader who has been a positive influence on hundreds (probably thousands) of people during his lifetime.

I went to work for WDVH prior to Larry's arrival. When he showed up as the new owner we were all wondering what was in store for us. I can tell you that, from the start, Larry was a great boss. My contact with him was limited as I was part-time news and full-time student at UF. I vividly remember when I screwed up the facts in a story involving one of our biggest advertisers. It seems the client's brother had gotten himself into some trouble. I was new in town and the brother was identified to me as our client. Larry was sitting in the barber's chair, proudly listening to HIS station on the radio when the story came out. I might have this wrong but I think the client was either in the shop or found him there. He came back to the station with fire in his eyes. He let me have it with both barrels. I was in a state of shock but said "boss, I screwed up. It was a mistake. I will do a retraction in the next newscast." He stared at me, shook his head and left the room. The next day he was his old self again and I still had a job. Most bosses would have dumped me on the spot but Mr. Edwards (I never called him Larry) gave me another chance. I am grateful for that today and will never forget his Grace.

Larry,

Just thought you should know.........

I'll never forget the times you would holler from your office....
"TURNER !! Get your butt in here !!"

I laughed when I looked through the front glass of the station the day you first arrived. You didn't know anyone was watching you, so you set your briefcase down, and straightened your gig line, checked your fly, then grabbed the briefcase, and headed for the door. I remember wondering what kind of guy this is gonna be....the new GM.

I "borrowed" a few records, right after we switched to Country. If you want me to, I'll find them, and bring em to you. I really needed to tell you that, to clear my conscience (they were some of the records we weren't playing any longer, since we went Country).

Larry Pollock, aka Gary Allen, stole some records. (not many, but, he stole them)

Bob Cunningham used to sit in the Sales Office, with his feet propped up, and tell people that he couldn't get them on for another week, cause we were all sold out. Funny thing..... we were.

There were numerous times, I would help you tape an Editorial in the Production Room. Every time you finished a take, you'd turn to me and ask, "Was that ok ?" It always was ok. There was never any strong editorial input in the market before you started, and I don't think there has been since. (Take that, mullet wrapper)

I wanna thank you for not coming in the control room, and slapping me up side the head, when Nelson and I would sing along with the music.

OH....the listeners of DVH had no idea how much respect they owed you, for not telling the News Department what to cover. Perhaps even more important, not telling the News Department what they couldn't cover. That made you about ten feet taller than any of the other Station Managers in town.

We appreciate all the times you stood up for us when we were right about something. I also remember you standing with us, when we were wrong. Ya know, not many guys out there have the stuff it takes to be that good.

I was right behind you that day of the first Egg Hunt, when you were standing in the middle of Kincaid Road in front of the station. You were looking back up the road toward Hawthorne Road, hands on your hips, shaking your head. There was a tsunami of people coming toward you, and all we had were, what...3000 eggs ? The Sheriff estimated we had more people than eggs. Then 12,000 showed up for the Hunt in Westside Park.... There are people in the business that dream about having a radio station that could do what we did. And we were able to do what we did, cause you innately created an atmosphere of success. Or was that design, Edderds ?

The happiest and most fulfilling time in my life, was during the time I was a small part of DVH Country. No BS.

Through all my experiences to date, I have never worked with so many good, talented, wonderful people in one place, as I did on Kincaid Road.

Funny, but all this good stuff started happening, right after the new GM arrived in front of DVH, straightened his gig line, and walked into our lives.

You be one FINE man Edderds !!

Thanks, and I love you.

Mel

Late in 1982, I believe it was, one of the biggest local news stories was pay for Gainesville city police officers. I was the "city beat" reporter for WDVH, so I was close to the events as they publicly unfolded. The way I remember it, the city employee's union was requesting a certain level of pay increase; and the city said it didn't have the money. The bottom line -- which I do remember very clearly -- was a dramatic vote by the city commission. The pay raise was voted down. For a split second you could hear a pin drop in city hall -- then dozens of police officers stormed out in a fury. The next day, I discussed the issue with Larry, who proceeded to write and record an editorial in favor of the police officers, blasting city management for their inability to adequately reward the folks who were putting their safety on the line to keep the peace. I'll never forget Larry's blunt, heartfelt and admirable call for his community to support its finest. It was local radio at its best, and made me prouder than ever to work for Larry and the Radio Ranch.

From Bob Cunningham:

Larry

I remember when I started with DVH. Jim Brand called you, and we talked. Then I came to Gainesville with Jason...it was cold, raining. I learned a lot from you and will always remember what you did for me. You got me started in golf and got me in sales - great memories and a great teacher.

Do you remember when we went to Crystal River and you showed me how to play liars poker? ...we always had a great time. I do know that everybody thought you had lost it when you said we were going country ( in a college town, a daytime station) and once again you were right, boy did things change.

How about the bushel basket and (Ma Bell had problems), Jason and Heather, our first egg hunt at the ranch, and our show at Bobby's Hideaway? (I got stuck with getting the money - I just knew I was going to be robbed.)

Thanks to you I have some good skills in the business world, but nothing like you. If I could only clone your knowledge and keep it.

Thanks for everything and all the memories. I don't know how many times in my work or teaching sales or just talking about life, your name comes up, and I always tell them I learned how to sell because of Larry Edwards. THANKS!

God has something special for you, and he is in control. I pray for you each day. You have been a great inspiration to a lot of people - again THANKS!!!!!

Bob Cunningham ( trainee )

It seems that four capital letters, WDVH, conjure up floods of memories for just about anybody who ever set foot on Radio Ranch. Believe me, I'm no exception. Those years were chocked full of my most treasured memories. In that I have enjoyed so many of you sharing your recollections, I couldn't resist getting "on the (internet) air" once again:

It was in the Summer of ''72 (no, George, not "Summer of 42"--that was a movie) that I, in advance of the Fall term at UF, drove my new Dodge Charger (graduation gift) north, through a freak, blinding love bug storm, in hopes of securing part-time employment at a radio station. Acting on a tip from the station manager where I had last worked, I was to see a guy named Larry Edwards, owner of WDVH, the town's country music leader. For whatever reason, I hadn't set an appointment in advance. And, I don't remember how it was that I actually found Radio Ranch, although I vividly recall coming the back way, not via Hawthorne Road. (Even on that first day, I was drawn to those trees in the front, as if they were calling out
to me an invitation to park between them.) Fortunately, I chose instead, however, to park in the lot along the fence. Right off the bat, I thought, this was a "cool" (still a somewhat fashionable word back then) environment. All three of my prior gigs had been in traditional office buildings. Little did I know then that there was far more to this ranch-type setting that just the physical aspects.

I guessed that 5,000 watts of RF must have been attractive to love bugs, because even more of them greeted me as I emerged from my car. Once inside, I was announced to a man standing in front of an office, slipping an airline ticket into his coat jacket. That was my first glimpse of Larry Edwards! He listened briefly to my story and graciously apologized for having to leave for the airport, and then he introduced me to Ferrell Asbell, station manager. Once I brought to JFA's attention that UF would not allow me to have my car for the first year, the "rest of the story" for that day did not include my joining the ranks of 'DVH. I did that day,
however, develop an instant liking and respect for Ferrell. He boasted so proudly of the station's news operations as he toured me through. My prior exposure to radio news had been one of "rip 'n read" between the music. Here was a station committed to news! I had a lot to learn. And I knew then that this station was where I wanted to be. It would be a full year before I'd be back for a second year at UF, this time with my car and, most importantly, a job at 'DVH Country.

Never before, and certainly not since my tenure at WDVH (and subsequently WDLP in Panama City) have I found a "family" to go along with a job. I've not even heard of anyone experiencing anything close to what we had in those days. For me, still in my teens when I was adopted by this unique group of people, those years served to teach me some of the most critical lessons of life. We had fun, too, didn't we? We laughed. We fought. We worked. We laughed. We grew. We laughed. We lost battles, but won more. We laughed. And, we learned to love in a very special way.

I suppose there are things we never learned, too. I, for one, never learned to keep a straightened, tidy desk. Larry, on the other hand never had clutter. With what must have been up to a half dozen crises juggling at a time, you could still "true-up" a t-square with the calendar and other items as arranged on the boss's desk. I can only imagine that Sharon is similarly inclined, or that Larry is still as forgiving as always--a trait of his for which I found myself grateful many times over.

Thankfully, so many of those memories just don't fade. For instance, whenever I see a chocolate bar, I still see the brown promotional wrapper that once replaced the Hershey brand name. To me, it's a "980" bar. It took hours for the staff to switch those wrappers out, but it was a great client gift premium. (And, if the truth were known, probably only about a third ever made it to a client's hands. The others melted in the sales staff's trunks, or were eaten. Damn sales people!)

I have a lot of fond memories that involve eating, too. How great was it to have listeners so enamored with our product that they brought food straight to our door? And, it was good food, too. Long before the term "power lunch" came into being, LDE taught me all about it. When Larry and I were working at Panama City together, we made some weekend visits back to Gainesville together in his car. Somewhere north of Perry and southeast of nowhere, there was a convenience store sitting all by itself on the road. Rather than stop for a sit-down meal, it became our ritual to buy a loaf of bread, some lunch meats, cheese, and, each time small jars of mayo and mustard. He drove. I made sandwiches. It probably has a lot to do with me just getting to spend quality time with someone I so admired, but
I've never had such good lunches. And, while many of you may think that Schlitz beer is a cheap-tasting brand, I'm here to tell you it's an acquired taste! Just take it on a road trip with someone you love.

Even to this day, I don't often eat breakfast (yes, B.J., I know it's the most important meal of the day), partly because I've never found a breakfast that sized up to those served the morning after each year's station Christmas party at Larry's house. Maybe it was the special "tomato juice" that was served with the eggs. Funny, I don't remember what happened at the parties too much, but those sure were "power breakfasts"!

Larry, I don't know of another soul who could today claim to have deeply touched so many lives as you. The fact that Jinx and the others have put together such a long list of alumni who want to stay connected is, in itself, a testimony. The examples you set for all of us were timeless teachings--among them giving praise to those who did a good job. You even knew how to show a 6 foot, 7 inch guy like me how good it is to feel 10 feet tall. Hell, Larry, you're still teaching us! And, we're hearing you, too. Your example of courage and dignity have once again inspired me at a time in life when I need more of what we all had some 28 years ago.

To all of you who have passed through that very special place, whose address was simply "WDVH, Kincaid Road," know that I consider it both a pleasure and, especially, an honor to have been part of that wonderful experience. Because of it, I will forever consider myself to have been enriched in life.

Tom Hunt

Larry-you were a wonderful boss and helped launch my career. I think of
you often and you are in my thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Robyn (Goulding) Sieron

Activist loses long battle with cancer

Larry Dean Edwards, a local entrepreneur and cancer activist who dedicated his life to helping others, died Tuesday of cancer at E.T. York Hospice Center. He was 65.

Mr. Edwards, who was "an example of a life well-lived," according to his friends, was born and raised in Nashville, Tenn., where he took his first radio job as a teen-ager.

After a four-year stint in the U.S. Marine Corps, he returned to Nashville and radio, eventually rising to the post of vice president of Lin Broadcasting. In the 1960s, he was president and executive producer of the Miss Teenage America Pageant in Dallas, where he worked closely with Dick Clark and Jimmy Durante.

In 1969, Mr. Edwards bought WDVH-AM in Gainesville and changed the format from rock 'n' roll to country music, bringing the station to No. 1 in the market for more than a decade. He built and owned Captain D's Restaurant, founded TWT Advertising Specialties and Gainesville Advertising Federation. He was elected Small Business Leader of the Year.

His particular interest lay with law enforcement, according to his wife, Sharon. He created Crime TRAC (now known as Crime Stoppers) and served on the Gainesville Police Advisory Board.

In 1983, Mr. Edwards was diagnosed with lung cancer, but he kept his sense of humor.

"Just pop that tumor out and go on" he is quoted as saying that year in a summary written of his battle with cancer. He never turned down the opportunity to visit lung cancer patients, and his faith, hope and courage were an inspiration to those who knew him. He won the American Cancer Society Florida Division Courage Award in 1983 .

"His cancer never stopped him from his work or from being a community leader," Sharon Edwards said. "All through his ordeal of fighting cancer, he had his buddy list. And no matter how ill he was, he was calling his buddies and cheering them on. He was always there for everybody else. His positive energy got him through life's crisis, and he led other people through crisis as well."

After celebrating nine years as a cancer survivor, in 1992, Mr. Edwards discovered that the cancer was back. His motto was, "I beat it once, I'll beat it again."

Throughout his illness, which invaded much of his body over the next several years, Mr. Edwards served on numerous boards, including the American Cancer Society and Boys Club, and received a pile of awards. He volunteered for the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce and used his smooth broadcasting voice to emcee fund-raising events around town. Despite his physical pain, Mr. Edwards was a model in the American Cancer Society's fashion show.

Linda Brown, director of business development of Shands Rehab Hospital and a personal friend of Mr. Edwards, said, "He was a man of integrity and a man of his word, and he was one of the kindest and most sincere people I ever met."

Mr. Edwards, who was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, is survived by his wife, Sharon Edwards, and sons Joseph Dean Edwards of Las Vegas and Christopher Michael Edwards of Seattle.

Visitation will be held at Williams-Thomas Funeral Home from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Trinity United Methodist Church. Both are open to the public.

Larry and Dean Edwards	Larry and Ray Danner flank Mrs. Danner at the front door of the station.
Larry and Jamea in his office.	Larry in his office with Frick and Frack.

Saturday: Take a hike, fight cancer

Activist loses long battle with cancer