Archived Topics

WILI/Windham history

Posted By: Wayne Norman <Wayne@djmail.net>
Date: Friday, 14 July 2000, at 8:01 p.m.

You history buffs may enjoy the page linked below. It's a detailed history of WILI, including photos of some of our old jocks, and a lot of great stories about our late "Chairman of the Board" Herbert C. Rice. This page also links to a tribute to the late Virginia Seretny which includes some old pictures of her at WILI.

We're always looking for more information and photos to add to this page. If any of you threadcity.com surfers know the whereabouts of any of our alum, please let me know.

Additionally, WILI's 2000 Boom Box Parade got some major national coverage. Tim Page (from E. O. Smith HS!) covered it for the Washington Post and wrote a major story which was also printed in the Los Angeles Times. Both stories included color photos by the Chronicle's Fran Funk. One of those photos is on our home page. The link to the full Post story is also on our home page, and will stay active until July 20. The story is much more than a parade recap. It talks about how the success of the parade is just one of many signs of an economic and spiritual revival of Downtown Willimantic.

BTW, the previous post by our Robin Rice is right on the money. The WTG does an outstanding job, and their performances are certainly worth seeing--especially their summer musical extravaganzas.

Posted By: Bob Chasse <bob_chasse@prodigy.net>
Date: Tuesday, 18 July 2000, at 8:47 p.m.

In Response To: WILI/Windham history (Wayne Norman)

A note for your WILI history page. I was the radio station engineer when we put WILI on the air that 5th day in October 1957. My son Michael was born about 9:00 that same morning. Les made the announcement on the air several times. My mom, Fleurette, never heard the announcement. Every time it was made she was out of the car doing some errand. she didn't find out about it until later in the day from someone else. I left WILI in 1958 to become chief engineer at a radio station in Fernandina Beach, Florida. 

Posted By: Ed Gervais <gervais@moxicom.com>
Date: Friday, 5 January 2001, at 12:18 a.m.

In Response To: WILI/Windham history (Wayne Norman)

You mis-identified Wild Bill Olds in your history section. Also, where is Roger? (News, Sports, Weather, in the '60s, along with Les) 

Posted By: al
Date: Monday, 19 February 2001, at 9:54 p.m.

In Response To: Re: WILI/Windham history (Ed Gervais)

i remember bill olds saying on the radio -- "if you can't play a sport....be one"!!

anyone remember joe clark on wili in 1960s???..he was on at nite...played petulia clark's big hit DOWNTOWN all the time..

we used to go down on main st on thursday nites when stores were open. we could stand in front of the wili window on main st in the lonergan building. we would make gestures at the announcer who looked out of the studio onto main st. we would hold up a sign and it said: play 'UP Up and AWAY by the 5th Dimension.

and so it goes.....