2001 was the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the disembowlment of the original KIX crew, that began with the unwarranted and incredibly stupid decision that resulted in the termination of Terry "Wranglin' Danglin' Dick" Dailey. The Zimmers took over the station on 13 September 1991 (my 43rd birthday) and my life (and so many others) hasn't been the same since then. One by one, we all moved on to other things.

But in any radio career there's always one station where the vibe is just right and the people all mesh in a "you and me against the world" kinda way. It's the station that always seems to be climbing the hill but never gets to the top, where each achievement is made against seemingly impossible odds, where each player has one memory that he or she wishes that NO ONE would ever mention again but can always laugh about when shared with those who were there. The original KIX104 (on the air from 1985-1991) was one of those experiences.

And then a few months back, Pat White mentioned to me in an email how neat it would be to get the old crew back together...

So ten years and eleven days after the sale some of us got together at The Opus Room in Westport Plaza, shared memories, some tears and lotsa hugs and just flat out had a great evening.

By the way, Steve Davis and his band provided two great sets, one from the band and one with Steve is his Elvis personna. Our thanks to Steve, the band and their crew for a knockout performance. If you don't call 618-372-4155 and hire these guys to play for your next event, I'll send Dan Strauss to your house to play his harmonica!

Pictures:

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Ron Dennington (center) reads the fortune from his chicken wing as Jim Shannon and Pat White wait breathlessly for the word from the bird
Players: Pam Mundy, Wanda Hindle, Janet Greenlee and George Depper
Players: KIX104 Illinois news stringer Craig Baalman
George Depper, downtrodden at being the only guy at a tablefull of chicks!
Players: In the background, Dan Strauss and Dave "Wolfman" Wittman
Rick Sanborn (center) explains to his wife Susan that he CAN get up at 3:30AM for his KTRS Morning Show
John King (the original KIX104 PD) tries once more to explain to Frank the principles of radio programming
A young lady at the bar reacts badly when Dave "Wolfman" Wittman tries to explain how cool it is to be in radio sales
Padi Fassold-Salamone (center) finally admits that everything that went wrong at KIX104 was her fault
Players: Michelle Kent and Gordon Atkins
Players: Diane "Mother" MacKenzie, Susan Sanborn and Janet Zimmerman
The band, left half
The band, right half
The chow (hey, I was on a budget)
Janet Greenlee (center) reacts to John King's impression of a Corporate Radio Regional VP
Jim Shannon (right) amuses Pat White with his tiny magical right hand, levitating plates of chicken wings
Players: Ron Dennington and Rick Sanborn
Janet Greenlee (center), shows Pam Mundy how she can create program logs using just a pencil and a cocktail napkin
Players: Janet Zimmerman and Frank O. Pinion
Players: Janet and Frank and Susan Sanborn, who insisted at gunpoint that I take this picture
Janet Greenlee (right) closes her eyes at the site of the hideous Family Reunion t-shirt displayed by Michelle Kent
Janet Greenlee (right) comes alive as Michelle Kent presents the sponsor's name...Janet's a great Traffic Manager!
Players: a room shot
Players: watching the band
Steve Davis 1
Steve Davis 2
Watching Steve Davis over Janet Zimmerman's shoulder
George Depper (right) suddenly realizes after looking at Dan Strauss' watch that he still has a 40-minute drive home to Godfrey IL
Players: Michelle Kent and Joe Rusch
Is this Elvis or just an Art Bell-like shadow?
Max and Dad
Players: Dan Strauss, Ron Dennington, Joe Rusch, Pat White
Steve Davis 3
And you wonder why we shipped John King home in a mayonnaise jar?

Holy Cow! Here's another three dozen "wild card" photos! Diane McKenzie left a few of those disposable cameras around on tables at the party; I finally got the film developed and the images scanned in...some of the photos are a little "dark" (underexposed) and a little "soft" (out of focus), but they're all pretty cool! Click on any number below to see 'em, in no particular order.

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A photo-CD is available to attendees to commemorate this historic event, too!