As one who has worked in Houston radio since the 60s I can attest to the love and devotion every KILT alum in the universe feels about Dickie Rosenfeld. I never worked for him, but I've heard stories of his kindnesses and generosities for many years, and now in these spaces.
But, since this thread IS open to other nominations, I would like to bring up Leroy Gloger. I worked for him at KIKK AM/FM for a couple of years in the late 60s, under the infamous news director :-\Richard Dobbyn :-[(sound of horses whinnying in the distance)
Now I know some of us could tell Richard Dobbyn horror stories for the rest of the year, but this is about Leroy Gloger, who was the nicest and most generous station owner I ever worked for. He believed in sharing his success with the people who made it happen for him.
KIKK was still in that building on Southmore in Pasadena when I went to work there in 1968, chasing police cars and fire trucks for Dobbyn's "20-20" newscasts. Leroy gave me a 100 dollar a month gasoline allowance, but he also let me use a station credit card to buy my gas. That 100 dollars was his way of padding my pay.
He also put a 100 dollar bill in everybody's pay envelope every month the station billing went over 100 thousand dollars, and it was never under that level the whole 18 months I was there.
Then there were his legendary Christmas bonuses. Everybody got a month's pay for every year they'd been with him, and Gloger gave them in cash at the Christmas party. He and his wife would get brand new bills from the bank, wrap them in a nice ribbon and hand them out at the party. Several employees went home that night with six months pay in their pockets.
Nobody I've worked for, before or since, comes close to Leroy Gloger in showing appreciation to those whose hard work made him rich.
