Classic cars and radio for Rotarians
By GREG COLLINS Publicity Chairman

Kilgore Rotary Club's Student of the Month is Tommy Howard, a senior at KHS. He stands with Rotarian Melvin Jordan.

Chuck Conrad, owner of KZQX at Chalk Hill, Lake Cherokee was the guest speaker for the Kilgore Rotary Club on Wednesday. Conrad spoke a little bit about the radio station as well as his passion for classic cars.

The station owner described how he got the station started, and how he applied for licenses in Longview, Kilgore and Henderson, expecting to only get the license in Henderson approved.

Well, the license in Longview was the first to be OK'd, followed by the one in Kilgore. Five years later, Conrad is still waiting to hear about his desire to be licensed in Henderson. And, since that time he has purchased a license for Tyler.

The entire station is run out of his garage and has very few watts. The station plays 400 songs per day, while some commercial stations play 400 in a week. All of the staff volunteers to work at KZQX, and the station is funded by sponsorships. Kilgore College is a large sponsor and the station is the home for all KC sports broadcasts.

Conrad said the station has been a joy to own, and he is very happy that the East Texas area, especially Kilgore, has supported his efforts.

"I wanted a place that I could hear my Frank Sinatra records," he said. "And, some Dean Martin mixed in."

He said he went in a local record store when he first moved here and there was very little music for sale that is played on his station. Now, he said, there is a whole row, and he hopes that is because his station has caused people to ask for that music.

He also talked about his eight cars and the fact that he is president of a Classic Car organization that has a museum just outside of Kalamazoo, Michigan. He said his love of classic cars grew from an experience with a car his late father left him.

He encouraged the club to visit the museum and to take an interest in classic cars, or those cars produced loosely from 1925 to 1948.

In other Rotary news, Tommy Howard, a senior at Kilgore High School, was named Student of the Month. He was introduced by Melvin Jordan. Howard is a member of the football team, is ranked No. 31 in his class and is involved in a host of extracurricular activities. He was accompanied to the meeting by his mother, Suzanne Howard.

Sammy York reported on his trip to PETS and said he is ready for his Rotary year to get under way. He also reminded his board to try to attend the District Assembly on April 19.

Bill King, five years, and Richard Rorschach, 28 years, were honored for perfect attendance.

Club members were reminded about the upcoming Scholar Athlete Banquet as well as the upcoming golf tournament.

Next week, the program has been listed as a surprise.

The Kilgore Rotary Club meets each Wednesday at noon in the ballroom of the Meadowbrook Country Club. Guests are always welcome.