Those of you who were in Rushville, or anywhere in the midwest, in January of 1978 remember the biggest meteorological event to happen 'round these parts. Most of us just refer to it as "the blizzard of '78." Rushville was largely cut off from the rest of the state for days, as were most small towns. School was cancelled for weeks. Many couldn't get to work. Police and doctors checked on people on snowmobiles. Drifts of 20 feet or more along the roads was not uncommon. Phone service and electricity were iffy for those stranded out in the county. But, there was a voice for Rush County. This edition is about the man behind the voice, who made sure that someone was there to keep us all informed of what was going on. That man was Ed Roehling.
Ed was the owner and General Manager of what was then WRCR radio, 94.3. Ed and his family lived in Rush County, so he knew what the county was going to be up against. And, he informed several of his employees that they needed to bring lots of clothes to work when the blizzard began, because they were going to be staying there, to keep news on the air, through the duration of the storm.
Ed was also very involved in the community, volunteering with many groups, including Rotary, Rush County Players, and others. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Radio/TV at Butler University in 1963, followed by a Bachelor of Science in Earth-Space Sciences and Business Administration in 1981 at the University of Indianapolis. He also holds a 1980 Master of Arts in Executive Development, Political Science and Public Administration from Ball State University.
After the purchase of WRCR by Louis and Sharon Disinger, Ed moved on to other things. Including doing "voice-work" all over the state. If you live anywhere in central Indiana and ever listened to a radio station, you may have heard him many times and didn't even know it! Talk about your classic "radio voice!"
A list of his accomplishments includes: serving as General Manager of WICR-FM, Indianapolis, Indiana. WICR is the campus radio station of the University of Indianapolis, where Ed simultaneously served as Assistant Professor of Communication; Vice President, COMPIRO, Inc. and Associate Director of the Indiana Broadcasters Association; President, Metro Broadcasters, Inc.; President, Bartholomew County Broadcasting Co., Inc., WWWY, Columbus, Indiana; General Manager, WLKM, Three Rivers/Kalamazoo, Michigan; Station Manager and Sales Manager, KAUS AM & FM, Rochester, Minnesota; Vice President and General Manager, Sales Manager, WIUC, Winchester, Indiana; Past Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Systems Committee, Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System (IHETS); Past Vice President FM and Educational Representative, Indiana Broadcasters Association;Promotional Announcer for WTHR-TV, Channel 13;and Member, National Association of Broadcasters.
He has also has been recognized statewide for his distinguished service, including the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Mayor of Indianapolis in 2002, the "Citizen of the Year" award by the Rush County Chamber of Commerce, the Gabriel Award presented by the National Council of Catholic Communications, the "School Bell Award" presented by the Indiana State Teachers Association, and "Outstanding College Radio News Broadcast" in the state of Indiana, presented by the Society of Professional Journalists.
Today, Ed is President and Licensed Broker of Roehling Broadcast Services, Ltd. He also serves as Vice President of Development and Board Member of Hoosier Broadcasting, Inc., and is an active member of the Greenwood Rotary Club (and past member of the board).
He remains an active member of the community as well. He is a member of the Fine Arts Society of Indianapolis; is Past President of the Rush County Chamber of Commerce; Past President of the Rushville Rotary Club, Past District Chairman of the Tanaka District of the Boy Scouts of America; and past Board Member of the Greenwood Rotary Club.
Ed is very much missed in our community, but has obviously continued to do well beyond the borders of Rush County. He still maintains many friends in the community, and remains interested in goings-on in Rushville. But, many of us fondly remember Ed as "Santa" on the radio during Christmas (along with Jeff Hufford's "Gumpygump the Elf) and for being one of the voices that kept us all informed during what could have been an "information white out."
