Millard the Mallard was a fictional

mallard duck The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced species, introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Bra ...

who was used as a character and mascot of WRVA radio in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. It was featured on

Alden Aaroe Alden Peterson Aaroe (May 5, 1918 – July 7, 1993) was a broadcast journalist and announcer for WRVA, a radio station in Richmond, Virginia. Career Before coming to WRVA, Aaroe was a newscaster at WCHV in Charlottesville, Virginia, 1939–1941 ...

's morning show for 30 years.

History

Millard the Mallard first appeared in September 1972 as a joke when John Harding, of the WRVA news staff, started making a Donald Duck-type voice during Alden Aaroe's morning show. Millard remained a daily feature for the next 28 years. In 2000, in an effort to re-invent WRVA as a serious straight news talk station, then-Program Director Randall Bloomquist had the "Millard The Mallard" features eliminated from the Morning Show, hosted by Tim Timberlake at the time. The elimination of Millard caused some disappointment among fans of the "old" WRVA. John Harding reports that "Right now, Millard is soaking in retirement in a swamp here on our farm ... swizzles cold deliciouses and listens to deep tracks on old Miles Davis Albums. Oh yeah, and by the way, He's still upset that he got passed over for the

AFLAC Aflac Inc. (American Family Life Assurance Company) is an American insurance company and is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States. The company was founded in 1955 and is based in Columbus, Georgia. In the U.S., A ...

duck bits. Its tough being green."

References

Bird mascots Mascots introduced in 1972 Mass media in Richmond, Virginia Culture of Richmond, Virginia Male characters in advertising Male characters in radio Radio characters introduced in 1972 Fictional ducks Fictional radio personalities {{mascot-stub