Spring Break
Founding radio technician considering retirement after 35 years of commitment
COLTER MCWHORTER
Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: Out & About
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Thirty-five years ago, Herrington flipped the switch on WUOG. In a bittersweet coincidence, the station's 35th anniversary also marks his retirement.
"I haven't made up my mind definitely," he said, considering his past retirement attempts. "This doesn't mean I'm not coming up here once in a while."
A week ago, Herrington may not have had the choice - a case of severe back pain netted a trip to the hospital. Fortunately, he recovered for this week's operations meeting.
"We see Wilbur once a week and he tells us stories," said Kevan Williams, who works alongside Robby Powell as operations director at the station.
"Wilbur keeps us going," Powell agreed.
It took little to get Herrington going from there.
"Not bragging, stating a fact: I graduated with a 97.4 average at one time because I had a lot of background in radio," Herrington said, elaborating on his schooling in New Jersey and Louisiana. "I completed nine months of active duty in WWII, got my FCC license, been in it ever since."
Herrington comically considered his first engineering responsibilities, recalling the words of former University President Fred Davidson.
"'One key to that transmitter room. One key that you're gonna carry,'" he quoted. "That was the time that students were rising up, Kent State, Ohio State, things like that. And [Davidson] said, 'I don't want that to happen here. If something like that were to happen in your place, cut it off so the students couldn't do anything.'"
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