10 a.m., May 15, 2009----Fresh from celebrating its 40th anniversary last fall, radio station WVUD-FM 91.3 -- the “voice of the University of Delaware” -- has chosen to honor key contributors to the station's history by establishing a WVUD Hall of Fame.

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Five members were honored in an inaugural induction ceremony held May 5 in the Perkins Student Center, which also is home to the station's studio and audio library.

Introduced by Steve Kramarck, assistant director of student centers and station manager, and Scott Ohlmacher, student general manager, the inductees included:

-- Bill Chambless, host of the popular “Scratchy Grooves” program on WXDR and WVUD from 1984-2002;
-- Greer Firestone, the station's co-founder, who, when the original 10-watt WHEN went on the air on a cold night in October 1968, around 8 p.m., said, “WHEN is Now;”
-- Ron Krauss, a station member from 1974-77 who was instrumental in transforming WDRB to the on-air station WXDR in 1976;
-- Tom Mees, who developed his love of broadcasting as a part of WHEN from 1968-72 and went on to become one of the primary sports anchors during ESPN's formative years; and
-- Chuck Tarver, who served WXDR and WVUD from 1985-2008 as the professional station manager and ultimately as assistant director of UD Student Centers.

The honors for Mr. Chambless, Mr. Krauss and Mr. Mees were presented posthumously.

History through music

Mr. Chambless, who died in 2003, was the host of “Scratchy Grooves,” which initially was slated as a six-week temporary program featuring old recordings from his collection. Kramarck described him as a guy who “when you needed a promo at the drop of a hat, it was Bill Chambless.”

Kramarck said it is a testimony to Mr. Chambless' staying power that his radio voice continues to reach listeners who perhaps were not even born when “Scratchy Grooves” made its broadcasting debut in 1984.

Brian Lee, longtime station member and current host of “Scratchy Grooves,” said that Mr. Chambless was one of the most unique people that he has ever met, adding that “he was just a wonderful guy.”

Mr. Chambless' son, John, who is in the process of converting many of his father's old shows from cassette to CD format, has established a “Scratchy Grooves” Web site to make the programs available to fans old and new. The site notes that “from the first program in 1984 to the last one about 19 years later, he [Chambless] explored the music and sounds of yesteryear (1900 to 1940), scratches and all."

“Having my dad inducted in the WVUD Hall of Fame is very exciting,” Mr. Chambless said. “He was never happier than when he was at the station. It's been really nice to hear him on the air.”

UD on the air

As the first voice on WHEN in 1968, Firestone said that “at the time we had no background in the business, but we had a lot of enthusiasm.”

Having introduced UD audiences to live performances by the likes of Iron Butterfly and Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, Firestone went on to become influential in the regional art and drama scene, and has been recognized as an advocate for the arts in Delaware.

The author of Alexei and Rasputin (about the murder of the heir to the Russian throne), Firestone also penned a pair of Gershwin musical revues that have been produced nationally, including Gershwin, by George and Embraceable George.

“I am thrilled to be here tonight and to me this is just wonderful,” Firestone said. “I think with things like this we can generate a lot more enthusiasm for the alums.”

UD moves up to FM

Mr. Krauss was part of a group of students at Mt. Pleasant High School that started the first high school FM station in the First State, WMPH, in 1969.

“When Ron came to the University, he said, 'I'm in college now, why don't we have an FM station here?'” Firestone said. “He would ask other people to get involved, and is the guy who came up with the block radio format. He took a top 40 station on campus and remolded it and created a jazz and rock format.”

In guest book testimony from the Miami Herald that accompanied the obituary of his death on Dec. 20, 2006, Mr. Krauss was remembered as being an inspiration to many as a professional who also “touched people in a very positive way.”

The WVUD Wall of Fame citation also describes the legacy of Mr. Krauss as an individual who “brought a culture and style to UD radio that made eclectic programming at WXDR possible. It was a style filled not just with intelligence and street-smart savvy, but with compassion to complement an unending sense of mission for the young station -- a mission to enlighten and entertain. The continued programming variety heard over WVUD can be traced back to Ron's tenure at WDRB/WVUD.”

From UD to ESPN

Besides serving as sports director and chief play-by-play voice for student sports broadcasts, Mr. Mees also did music programming under the “CW” moniker, due to his uncanny resemblance to a character from the film Bonnie and Clyde.

A member of the Delaware Sports Museum Hall of Fame, Mr. Mees provided play-by-play for UD sports while working at radio stations WILM-AM in Wilmington and went on to become part of the early staff at ESPN.

“As a high school student, I knew who Tom Mees was,” Kramarck said. “As a small state, Delaware has a bit of an identity crisis, but then I saw Tom Mees on ESPN, and I heard him mention the Blue Hens and Delaware and Rich Gannon.”

In presenting Mr. Mees' commemorative statue to Michelle Mees-Clericuzio and Mr. Mees' daughter. Gabrielle, Kramarck noted that Mr. Mees, who died in 1996, was talented, dedicated, and a perfectionist at his craft.

“When we started asking for nominees for this inaugural class of inductees, more than half the e-mails we got were about Tom Mees,” Kramarck said. “Tom epitomized Blue Hen spirit and was a great friend, husband and father.”

Friend and mentor

For longtime fans of the station, as well as community members and several generations of student staff members, the selection of Tarver honors a friend and mentor who made an indelible mark on radio at UD, Kramarck said.

“During my high school days, my old radio partner John Anson and I came down to the station and told Chuck that we wanted to go on WVUD,” Kramarck said. “Chuck suggested that we come back when we get into college.”

As a teacher and trainer, Tarver is described as a patient, positive influence on many students who went on to successful careers in the industry.

“Chuck was a mentor to a lot of people, including myself. I took his radio production class and he helped me prepare for an internship and for the job I have now,” Kramarck said. “Whenever we needed something, Chuck always had time to help. He was always the first person I would call.”

In accepting his WVUD Hall of Fame statue, Tarver said, “I am honored to be included in the same class of inductees as these very special people.”

Kramarck said the tradition of inducting people into the WVUD Hall of Fame will continue when the Class of 2010 honorees are selected next year.

In the meantime, Kramarck suggests tuning into to the station or visiting WVUD online at the Web site. (http://www.wvud.org/)

Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photo by Kevin Quinlan