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Former Boss Remembers Jack Larson
A former Galesburg resident says there was only one person he worked the entire 18 years he was in town, and that was local legend Jack Larson.

Larson died Tuesday from cancer at the age of 87, with funeral services scheduled for Saturday afternoon. David Klockenga was General Manager of WAIK -- Larson's most recent radio home and where he hosted "Music with Memories" until his passing.

Klockenga, who now works at the Des Moines Register, tells WGIL it's not an understatement when he says you couldn't find a better broadcaster to work with.

"He was the perfect professional," Klockenga said. "(Jack Larson) enjoyed what he did, but he also really planned it out. He would come to work in the morning, he'd have his stack of records, he would play a three-hour show of records. He would then go home and plan the next day. It was picking out the exact records he needed for that next show."

And records were what made the show. Klockenga says he once asked Jack why he stuck with playing big band records and hadn't moved on to CD's or other media. He says Jack put it simply -- he loved how a song sounded on a record.

Klockenga says Jack Larson was passionate -- not just about that music, but also about the kids, and the fundraising efforts over the years to provide shoes, or band instruments, or even a good Christmas to them.


(Jack Larson)
04 16 10 by Newsroom
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