2017
Legacy Inductees
(in alphabetical order)
Jim Davenport, II
July 5, 1900 - December 17, 1965
Born into a prominent S. Georgia family in Americus, Jim Davenport, II's first jobs in radio was at WENC and WDEC in Americus. He moved to Atlanta after serving in the US NAVY to work at WJTL. He moved to WSB in 1936, then went to Augusta to WRDW. Davenport accepted a job with Jim Woodruff at WRBL in 1941. Woodruff then moved him to Atlanta and WATL. Davenport also worked at WAVO, Avondale, WCPO in College Park and WTJH in East Point. He is the father of 2007 Legacy inductee Jim Davenport, III.
Jack DeHaven
August 17, 1926 - June 30, 2016
Jack DeHaven was born in Allentown, PA and attended the University of Pittsburg and Wharton School of Business. He served in the US Navy in World War II. His first job in radio was at WWSW in Pittsburg. He joined Susquehanna Broadcasting and came to Atlanta to manage their WLTA in 1974. DeHaven worked for Regional Reps in Atlanta from 1987 until 1996.
Walter Flint
February 20, 1924 - March 10, 2017
Walter Flint was born in East Orange, NJ. He joined the Army and built three radio stations for the Armed Forces Radio Network. After the war, he attended and graduated from Kean University. In 1948, Army buddy and 2012 Legacy Inductee Milt George offered him a job at WGPC in Albany. His second career was providing sound system to churches and theaters in Southeast Georgia. His third career was as Reverend Walter Flint; he was a Presbyterian minister. He also made many philanthropic donations to the Albany community.
Art Gillham
January 1, 1895 - June 6, 1961
Art Gillham was born in St. Louis on January 1, 1895. After attending Central High School he enrolled at Washington University. His first radio job was at WDAP Chicago in 1923. He was pianist accompanying singers promoting Ted Browne Music Co songs. In December, 1923 a singer failed to appear and Art was dared to fill in the singing. The response was good and Art's singing career began. He traveled representing Ted Browne Music playing demonstrating the songs at stores carrying sheet music. At each town he visited he also stopped by the local radio station and played on over 300 individual stations. From 1937 to 1954 he played on Atlanta radio stations WSB, WGST, WRNG and made guest appearances on NBC's Monitor. He received his moniker as the Whispering Pianist at WSB.
Keith Kalland
March 26, 1951 - November 18, 2002
Keith Kalland was born in Ohio in 1951. He began his radio career at WGST in 1987. He later branched into television, working for several years at 11Alive News until moving to WAGA-TV. At the same time, he continued his work in radio, filing traffic reports for 96 Rock and Peach 94.9 radio stations, in addition to WGST. While he could not make the traffic woes go away, he helped keep listeners laughing while stuck in it with phrases like, "stick a fork in it, it's done!"
Ken Knight
February 6, 1909 - September 12, 1973
Ken Knight was born in Headland, Alabama. His family moved to Daytona Beach, Florida when he was a child. He3 graduated there from Campbell Street High School and earned a college degree at Virginia's Hampton Institute. His first radio job was at WROD in Daytona Beach in 1947. In 1949, Jesse Blanton launched America's first Black owned station WERD in Atlanta; he hired Knight to be it's first program director.
Oscar Leverette
June 2, 1947 - April 21, 2016
Oscar Leverette's career in radio started in 1964, at WNEX in Macon, while he was still in high school. Except for three years serving in the U.S. Navy, Oscar spent his entire career in the Macon market at WNEX, WBML, WMAZ, WAYS, WPEZ, WDDO, and WMGB. While he did everything from announcing to engineering, Oscar's greatest accomplishment came as a program director, when he guided 99 WAYS to the highest overall ratings, a 27 share, in the history of Macon radio. And as station manager at WPEZ/WDDO he more than successfully competed with "the monster he had created." His love of local radio along with, perhaps, some boredom with retirement, prompted Oscar and partner John Timms to launch The Fox 94.7 in 2016.
Esmond Patterson
July 23, 1927 - June 14, 2003
Esmond Patterson was born in Atlanta in 1927. His radio career began at WERD in 1950 and lasted for 38 years. In 2001 he moved to WTJH in East Point. Some of the highlights of his career include: March of Dimes Lifetime Achievement Award, Induction into the NAACP Hall of Fame, and radio announcer of the year Stellar Award. Patterson is credited with launching the careers of many gospel recording artists including Atlanta's own Dottie Peoples, LaShaun Pace, and Willie Neal Johnson and the Gospel Keynotes. His concerts and caravans gave legions of believers an opportunity to hear the word of Rev. Jasper Williams, Jr., Rev. C .J. Franklin, Rev. W. Leo Daniels, C.D. Daniels and others.
Bill Phippen
January 19, 1933 - September 24, 1992
Bill Phippen was born in Long Island, New York. He attended Hofstra College and served in the Army during the Korean War. He was an account executive for WINS and WNEW in New York before coming to Atlanta to be General Manager of WQXI. He then became general manager of KOPA in Phoenix, station manager of WRC in Washington and WSB in Atlanta, and vice president/general manger of WZGO in Philadelphia. His last position was general manager of WAPW in Atlanta. Upon his death, The Atlanta Radio Association created the Bill Phippen Scholarship at the University of Georgia.
Jane Sparks Willingham
September 9, 1923 - February 26, 2016
Jane Willingham was born in Millen, GA. She became interested in drama and acted in plays and spent a summer at Priscilla Beach Theatre in Plymouth, Massachusetts studying acting and performing in theatrical productions. In 1939 she heard her name announced on the radio as winner of the School of the Air contest sponsored by the Atlanta Journal. She attended and graduated from the Georgia State College for Women with a major in speech and drama. In 1944, Willingham joined WSB as its' second female announcer. She developed a weekly program of stories for children and was WSB Women's Director. She was on a streetcar on December 7, 1946 and passed the Winecoff Hotel engulfed in flames. She got off the streetcar and went to a nearby coffee shop and phoned in live news reports on the tragic fire. She moved to television and after leaving WSB she became a teacher and won many local and national awards for her work in education.
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