PICTURE OF ROBERT W. MORGAN
The Repository Remembers Robert W. Morgan

Variety magazine reported on May 29 of 1997 that Repository favorite Robert W. Morgan would be taking time off from K-EARTH 101 FM in Los Angeles to fight lung cancer. Hundreds of Repository Visitors signed our Get Well Card in the months that followed. As reported in The Robert W. Morgan Boss-ography, Morgan retired Friday, January 9th, 1998.

Robert W. Morgan lost his battle with cancer at 10:05 PM on Friday, May 22, 1998. Fans and Friends can write and read remembrances here.

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Morgan's Obituary as it appeared in the May 26, 1998 issue of Variety.
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RJ Remembers Ron Jacobs and "Bob" Morgan go back to the first day of KMAK, (Fresno, CA.) May, 1962. Shelley Morgan was Jacobs' secretary when Jacobs was PD at KHJ. RJ offered to share the following with the Repository, and we thank him.

From: Ron Jacobs Sunday, May 24, 1998 in mail to Uncle Ricky

I had a long conversation with Shelley Morgan awhile ago, and given the circumstances, she is just FINE. I know Shelley well enough to know if she were faking it. Actually, it was the LAST time we spoke, when things were pretty inevitable, that she cried. As did I when we hung up. Thereafter, as she always has, she took care of business, right on up through Friday night.

RWM was at Smith College to see Susanna graduate the prior Friday. (Straight A's in her last quarter, he'd want you to know!) Thus, they fulfilled a promise to one another: She would graduate and he would be there to see it. Yes, he flew there and back, even though by then he couldn't dial the phone. And he's pissed at me for mentioning that, but it explains why he finally withdrew from us: Because of GUTS and DIGNITY.

After a day's rest, the family traveled back to L.A. On Wednesday, RWM complained of chest pains. Things got progressively worse. The people RWM cared about were there when RWM signed off Friday night. Ironically, the news came first over KFWB (the station we idolized and later picked off) and was delivered by Lyle Kilgore, who RWM worked with at KHJ (and we both knew of in our pre-Boss days. I'm sure reading that one tested Lyle's professionalism.)

In the past several years, RWM and I spent as much time talking about (read "bragging about") our daughters. Both kids motivated both of us in ways that transcended radio, money and all the other bullshit. Each girl, in their own way, kept both their dads alive.

RWM's wish was to be cremated and have his ashes scattered at his favorite fishing site. Shelley is not ready to do that yet, so he is with her in what she described as a "beautiful" urn. And I'm sure it is. The woman has always had good taste.

Near the end, RWM was frustrated by not being able to communicate via computer or with his voice. He got his biggest kicks listening to that "Mega" station, which is apparently roughing up KRTH-FM. And good luck to THEM, now without Morgan and Steele, their former station exposed as a combination juke box/slot machine, running re-cycled KHJ stuff. The one thing I can assure you is that RWM did not move on up worrying that someone was gonna come on in and make people forget about him!

Shelley is having a private service at her husband's favorite place, their front lawn. A few hours before he logged off, RWM's future-son-in-law announced that he had passed the bar. A nice Jewish boy, who, according to Shelley got along really well with Susanna's dad.

Thanks to Kevin Gershan, Rick Irwin, Ron Rodrigues at R&R, the traditional media, the Internet/RealAudio and of course, Shelley -- tomorrow will always bring a good Morgan.

As for me, I'm going on tomorrow, Memorial Day, to play "Cruisin' 1965," starring the best jock I ever had the pleasure to work with, the world's greatest production announcer, and the person who did more to make me look good than anyone else in my 45 years in this silly business.

Ron Jacobs
Kaneohe, Hawaii
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Read the Get Well Messages sent to Robert W. Morgan between
May 29 and July 11, 1997

Read the Get Well Messages sent to Robert W. Morgan between
July 11, 1997 and July 29, 1997

Read the Get Well Messages sent to Robert W. Morgan between
July 29 and December 20, 1997.

Read the Get Well Messages sent to Robert W. Morgan between
December 20, 1997 and May 19, 1998.

REELRADIO ROBERT W. MORGAN REAL AUDIO
The Robert W. Morgan Boss-ography

©1997,1998 Richard W. Irwin and The Reel Top 40 Radio Repository