In gratitude and admiration for the work and creativity Gene Endres brought to his role as a long-time on-air host and DJ for WICB's "The Hobo's Lullaby" folk music program, the station will air a special tribute episode the morning of Tuesday, June 18th from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. The two-hour episode will include clips from Gene's archived shows, the recalling of memories and stories from his friends, colleagues and listeners, plus samples of Gene’s writing, including a farewell to his listeners that he never published.
Gene passed away suddenly in October, 2022. He started hosting The Hobo's Lullaby in the early 1980's, and carried on for more than 30 years. In that time, he brought folk music to the airwaves, but in reality, he brought that and much more. As someone who loved sounds and radio, he dug up traditional, ethnic, Americana, and international music to enliven the program, but he also shared stories, poetry, history, weather and all kinds of anecdotes with his audience. He created new ways to connect with listeners—broadcasting live from a moving bicycle; capturing railroad sounds live; recording summer crickets or the sound of storms; and more. Gene also served for many years as an audio engineer in the Park School of Communications.
The program was produced and edited by Jeremy Menard, Manager of Television & Radio Operations. Additional organizing and contributions were made by S.K. List, Chris Wheatley, Brad Edmondson and Emilio Del Plato with input from friends, family and more.
In addition to broadcasting on Tuesday, June 18th from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, the episode will re-air on Sunday, June 23rd from 2:00 - 4:00 PM. More information about the Gene Endres tribute episode can be found on WICB's website homepage.
“The Hobo’s Lullaby” continues to air weekly on WICB highlighting folk, bluegrass and Americana music. The show is hosted by a rotating group of students and airs Tuesdays from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and Sundays from 2:00 – 4:00 PM.
