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George Gilbert

T

Tom Woods

I know a lot of you on this site know of or are a friend of George Gilbert. He is very ill. His daughter sent me an e mail on Sunday saying that Hospice has been called in to give him home care. The Doctor says he may or may not make it till Easter. I had the chance to visit him on Sunday and we had some good laughs about the old days at WARM. Please keep him in your prayers and I'll keep you updated on his condition.

Thanks

Tom
 
Tom Woods said:
I know a lot of you on this site know of or are a friend of George Gilbert. He is very ill. His daughter sent me an e mail on Sunday saying that Hospice has been called in to give him home care. The Doctor says he may or may not make it till Easter. I had the chance to visit him on Sunday and we had some good laughs about the old days at WARM. Please keep him in your prayers and I'll keep you updated on his condition.

Thanks

Tom
Click to expand...

Thanks Tom for the update. GG is in our thoughts and prayers. Any news on Ron Allen. I have not heard anything about Ron for some time. How is he doing?

So far, I recall that Bob Oliver passed away some years ago and we also lost Terry McNulty. I also hear that Len Wolosen is not doing well.

Thanks,
WL
 
warmland said:
Tom Woods said:
I know a lot of you on this site know of or are a friend of George Gilbert. He is very ill. His daughter sent me an e mail on Sunday saying that Hospice has been called in to give him home care. The Doctor says he may or may not make it till Easter. I had the chance to visit him on Sunday and we had some good laughs about the old days at WARM. Please keep him in your prayers and I'll keep you updated on his condition.

Thanks

Tom
Click to expand...


Hi Warmland...Ron Allen paid a visit to George at his home on Tuesday. He had a hard time gettting up the front steps from what I heard. He's very hard to understand. (the effecs of the stroke) He is like a hermit though...dosen't want any communication with just about anyone. Yes Bob Oliver passed away of a heart attack many years ago and or course Terry is gone. Len Waloson is in Las Vegas...suffering fromn Alzhimers. Joey Shaver and I will visit Geroge this afternoon.

Thanks for asking and appreciate your prayers.

Tom

Thanks Tom for the update. GG is in our thoughts and prayers. Any news on Ron Allen. I have not heard anything about Ron for some time. How is he doing?

So far, I recall that Bob Oliver passed away some years ago and we also lost Terry McNulty. I also hear that Len Wolosen is not doing well.

Thanks,
WL
Click to expand...
 
Tom:

I am sorry to heard about George, got to meet him several times when we did the WARM documentary at 44. I am sure he is glad to see some old friends in tough times like these...

Mark T
 
Hi Warmland...Ron Allen paid a visit to George at his home on Tuesday. He had a hard time gettting up the front steps from what I heard. He's very hard to understand. (the effecs of the stroke) He is like a hermit though...dosen't want any communication with just about anyone. Yes Bob Oliver passed away of a heart attack many years ago and or course Terry is gone. Len Waloson is in Las Vegas...suffering fromn Alzhimers. Joey Shaver and I will visit Geroge this afternoon.

Thanks for asking and appreciate your prayers.

Tom[/quote]


Thanks again Tom, You are Ron, GG, Harry and many others were the reason I got into broadcasting.

My best to all of you. You are all true radio legends.

WL
 
George hired me at WARM, which was most assuredly a watershed event in my life (a long story not worth the telling here and now).

I have nothing but the highest regard for the man, and his family, many of whom I had the pleasure of getting to know quite well. They are all in my prayers.

For those who don't know Ron well, let me assure you that he was always a very private person. Given the current state of his health, I can only imagine his need for privacy has been magnified enormously. If the man wants to live the life of a hermit, his wishes should be respected. That he went to visit George was a huge gesture; there are few he would treat with that level of admiration and fondness.
 
I'm ashamed to say the last time I saw or spoke to George was at Terry's funeral. Before that, it was the send off at WNAK for Terry. We were able to reunite some of the great (and I mean GREAT) WARM icons including Tom Woods and Joey Shaver. Maybe we should have taken a lesson from that and gotten everyone together again. "Double G" hired me at WARM. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. Godspeed George. You are "SENSATIONAL."

Kevin Jordan
 
masterg said:
George hired me at WARM, which was most assuredly a watershed event in my life (a long story not worth the telling here and now).

I have nothing but the highest regard for the man, and his family, many of whom I had the pleasure of getting to know quite well. They are all in my prayers.

For those who don't know Ron well, let me assure you that he was always a very private person. Given the current state of his health, I can only imagine his need for privacy has been magnified enormously. If the man wants to live the life of a hermit, his wishes should be respected. That he went to visit George was a huge gesture; there are few he would treat with that level of admiration and fondness.
Click to expand...

That is very true, Ron has always been a private person and only a few really got to know him or get close. I have alot of respect for him for the way he put up with York's (the home office) dealings over the many years he worked at WARM.
 
George Gilbert is one of the best program directors who ever lived. When he programmed WARM the share was so high that if you added up the other shares of the other stations it didn't equal WARM's. The station was full of personality, cool for the kids and a credible source of news and information. I think it was the first ACCU-WEATHER station. Most of what I know about how to make a hot personality, current based station I learned by listening to WARM during our summers in the Poconos.

When I was in 9th grade, for my birthday, I asked my Dad to drive me to WARM. We lived in New Jersey. It was a 3 hour drive. When we got to WARM, George was gracious, spent time answering all of my 14 year old questions and made me feel very comfortable. Thanks to that we became friends when I got into the business. Again, he was always generous with advice and he was always right.

More importantly, he has been married for 54 years and has a large loving family. Now that's true success. He is the voice of the "great Northeast." Walter Sabo
 
walterradio said:
George Gilbert is one of the best program directors who ever lived. When he programmed WARM the share was so high that if you added up the other shares of the other stations it didn't equal WARM's. The station was full of personality, cool for the kids and a credible source of news and information. I think it was the first ACCU-WEATHER station. Most of what I know about how to make a hot personality, current based station I learned by listening to WARM during our summers in the Poconos.
Click to expand...


Question: Did George leave WIBG to take a job at WARM, WIGB was a much larger station in a huge market. Also who was PD before GG at WARM?
 
walterradio said:
George Gilbert is one of the best program directors who ever lived. When he programmed WARM the share was so high that if you added up the other shares of the other stations it didn't equal WARM's. The station was full of personality, cool for the kids and a credible source of news and information. I think it was the first ACCU-WEATHER station. Most of what I know about how to make a hot personality, current based station I learned by listening to WARM during our summers in the Poconos.

When I was in 9th grade, for my birthday, I asked my Dad to drive me to WARM. We lived in New Jersey. It was a 3 hour drive. When we got to WARM, George was gracious, spent time answering all of my 14 year old questions and made me feel very comfortable. Thanks to that we became friends when I got into the business. Again, he was always generous with advice and he was always right.

More importantly, he has been married for 54 years and has a large loving family. Now that's true success. He is the voice of the "great Northeast." Walter Sabo


Hi Walter, so nice to see you on this site. I know how much George thought of you especially traveling all that way to see him. He was the best boss I ever had as a matter of fact the best boss anyone coud have. Hope all is well with you in the BIG APPLE. I'm going to send you a PM

Take care

Tom
Click to expand...
 
Thank you all for the kind posts. Please know that we are reading them and they mean alot to the family... and we're passing your well wishes on to George.

Tony Gervasi
(GG's son-in-law)
 
One Of The First Remote Broadcasts I Went To Check Out Was "Double-G" In The Appliance Department At

Sears Viewmont Mall Back In '68 When The Mall First Opened. I'll Always Remember How Nice He Was To Me

And All The Radio Stories He Told Me That Day. Best Wishes And Strength To George And His Family.
 
I remember meeting Double G at WIBG 99 Philadelphia.. Very nice man. 10am to 2pm shift. Often heard him on WARM, as well.
I'll notify the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers, and see if I can come up with a Wibbage Top 99 list, or an aircheck of Double G.
http://www.440.com/namesg.html#_ggilbe
Scroll Down the page to George Gilbert's name.
 
Question: Did George leave WIBG to take a job at WARM, WIGB was a much larger station in a huge market. Also who was PD before GG at WARM?

I hope I get most of this right...
but George was on the air at WARM in Scranton when he was visited by the PD and someone else from WIBBAGE... they wanted him on the air in Philly. George had offers from other stations... but only the folks at WIBG went in person to call on GG.

George took the gig in Philly and started at WIBBAGE doing a split shift.. mid-days then late afternoon (post afternoon drive)... that was a long day being on the air... (but I'm all sure we have pulled long airshifts!). Eventually, they moved GG to mid-days... where he stayed till the announcer strike in early 1963 I belive...

All the annoucers when on strike, but Joe Niagra and Hy Lit crossed the line and kept the station running. When the strike was over... there was a new PD that made life miserible for George. (George was the shop steward at WIBG). The PD was going to move George to news, then bounced him around different air shifts... George wanted out... He tried getting gigs at WIP and WFIL... but they didn't have any openings...

So GG made a call to Art Carlson (the real Art Carlson) and asked for a gig...
George was on his way back to Scranton and WARMLAND.

I'm sure there's lots more... and I'll post as much as I can...

Thanks

Tony Gervasi
 
ColorRadio said:
Is it just me, or do these posts seem to be eulogies?
Click to expand...

It might look that way but the way I see it - by stirring up fond memories of someone who made quite an impact on NEPA, we smile with happy memories. That creates a positive feeling. That positive feeling is what we all need right now - especially George's Family. That positive feeling is like an uplifting prayer... I for one find nothing wrong with the way the thread is going. I hope others feel the same way. Keep the positive flowing, it makes it easier for all involved... :)

RD
 
To Walter Sabo..
A WONDERFUL, thoughtful and quite real note about your idol. If only more people in our business would acknowledge their mentors, and LISTENED to them, we'd have a lot more talented people running things today..
Your friend,
Jay Sorensen
Toms River, NJ
 
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