Dick Estell (April 11, 1926 – May 6, 2016) was an American radio personality. He was the host and producer of ''
The Radio Reader'', a serial
public radio program in which the host reads aloud from contemporary novels. The program was carried on
public broadcasting
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
stations in the United States.
Background
Born and raised in
Hillsdale, Michigan
Hillsdale is the largest city and county seat of Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,036 at the 2020 census.
The city is the home of Hillsdale College, a private liberal arts college noted for its academics ...
, Estell enrolled at the
University of Detroit
The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic univers ...
following high school. However, he left after a year to join the United States Air Force. He trained as a
ball turret
A ball turret was a spherical-shaped, altazimuth mount gun turret, fitted to some American-built aircraft during World War II. The name arose from the turret's spherical housing.
It was a manned turret, as distinct from remote-controlled turrets ...
gunner/radio operator, but World War II ended before he saw active duty. After military service, he attended a radio/TV broadcasting school in Los Angeles. Upon graduating, he accepted a position as radio announcer/engineer at a commercial radio station in Michigan.
Radio career
After five years, Estell decided to finish his college studies and entered the radio/TV program at
Michigan State University. In 1964, he took over ''The Radio Reader'' from his predecessor at MSU's radio stations,
WKAR (AM)
WKAR (AM 870) is an educational radio station, licensed to the trustees of Michigan State University (MSU) at East Lansing, Michigan, United States. The station is part of MSU's Broadcasting Services Division, along with WKAR-FM and WKAR-TV. Stud ...
and
WKAR-FM
WKAR-FM is a public radio station in East Lansing, Michigan, United States; broadcasting on the FM dial at 90.5 MHz. It is owned by Michigan State University, and is sister station to the AM radio and television stations with the same call let ...
, where he served as general manager until his retirement in 1986. He taped the program from a home studio in
Haslett, Michigan
Haslett is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly within Meridian Charter Township with a small portion extending east into Williamstown Township. The population was 19,220 at the ...
. He served as chairman of the board for National Public Radio from 1972 to 1974.
He was also the narrator of several commercially available audio books, including
Kenneth C. Davis' popular ''Don't Know Much About History'' and ''Don't Know Much about the Civil War''.
After more than fifty years, health issues compelled Estell to discontinue his broadcasts. The concluding episodes of
John Grisham
John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas) is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the Ame ...
's ''
Rogue Lawyer
'' Rogue Lawyer'' is a novel by John Grisham. It was released in hardcover, large print paperback, e-book, compact disc audiobook and downloadable audiobook on October 20, 2015. It is a legal thriller about unconventional street lawyer Sebastian ...
'' were read by Estell's good friend, Bob Page, former manager of WKAR-TV at
Michigan State University. The final episode of ''
The Radio Reader'' aired March 10, 2016.
[
]
Personal life
Estell married his wife Sheryl in 2001.
''Lansing State Journal''. May 6, 2016.
References
External links
Program page at WKAR
(archived)
Stations that streamed Radio Reader
(archived)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estell, Dick
1926 births
2016 deaths
American public radio personalities
Michigan State University alumni
People from Hillsdale, Michigan
University of Detroit Mercy alumni
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
United States Army Air Forces soldiers