WILI’s 50th anniversary reception 2007

OCTOBER 5, 2007: WILI’s 50th ANNIVERSARY RECEPTION

14/WILI invited current and former staff members, and local merchants and elected officials to join us for a celebration of our 50 years on the air. The Golden Anniversary event was held at the Windham Theater Guild’s Burton Leavitt Theater on Main Street in Willimantic. Over 200 people attended, including Bill Olds, who was a staff member the first day we went on the air.

Fifty years of memorabilia–from photos and newspaper stories to old program logs and music surveys–were on display as a slide show ran on the big screen.

Later, Nutmeg Broadcasting Company VP Colin Rice narrated a slide show which recapped WILI’s history.

Then Hall Communications president Art Rowbotham called up Hall Executive VP Bill Baldwin, GM Andy Russell, Michael, Colin, and Robin Rice, Hall CFO Evelyn Wolf, and WILI Program Director and morning man Wayne Norman, who also addressed the crowd, saying “In my 37 years at WILI, I have never had as much listener response as I got from the shows with WILI alums we did this week.”

Evelyn Wolf and Art Rowbotham arrive

WILI receptionist Latoya Mitchell and account executive Deb Marouski pass out name tags

UConn senior and WILI intern Joy Huang and the WILI “Frogcaster”

Former General Manager Dave Evan, announcer Dan Hayden, and newsmen Jeff Reisman and Mark Roy

Andy Russell, WILI Account Executive Chris Proulx, and WILI Sales Manager Donna Evan

Robin Rice and her husband Jack Nardi

WILI Office Manager Liz Bosco with Jack Nardi

Andy Russell, Bill Baldwin, Evelyn Wolf, and Art Rowbotham

70’s announcers Tom Lyons and Dan Hayden

1970’s voices Wayne Norman, Dan Hayden, Steve Kotchko, Tom Lyons, Les Morrell, Jeff Reismann, Willie J. Naughton, Mark Roy, with Vanessa Naughton