Speaker 1 [0:01] Well, thank you, Larry. And good afternoon, everybody, wherever you are, this afternoon here on our town and country time program, we're honored to have some friends from Ohio in the studio today, so I'll call them Buckeyes. And it's always good to have Buckeyes on the program with us. These gentlemen grew up in Johnston County, and they are the sons of the late Dr Macklemore. And I have Robert over here in George and we have smiling Bob. We're going to get smiling Bob on just a little bit, but the macklemores, that's a very prominent name here in Johnston County. And Robert, tell me a little bit about your father, the late Dr Macklemore, if you will. Robert [0:51] Well, right next to me, I have George Macklemore Junior, who is a doctor in New York City. And I let me give it over to George Jr. He was the baby of the family. But, my goodness, we have family here. We have sissy, who is Margaret Lee at the Johnston County room, Lucille, who was Bill Joe, Austin's wife. And of course, Bill Joe died, then Eloise Grady, and Dr Grady was her husband, but the three matriarch sisters are having a family reunion, and that's why George and I flipped down here to be with the family. And we brought along a friend George say something all right, Speaker 1 [1:36] and tell us a little bit about your father, the late Dr Macklemore, because everybody remembers him, especially if they've been living here for a good while, but he was certainly a very well known gentleman in this area. So George, good to have you aboard here. George [1:53] I'll tell a little bit about my father. My his name's sake. So he came to Johnson County in 19 six, and the very month that the San Francisco earthquake hit. And has practiced on until about 1960 he said he went into medicine and self defense because he had had typhoid fever, smallpox, hook, worm and amoebisis and you name it. So he decided to go into medicine in self defense. He had very little to work with in those days, but he established himself in the Cleveland Community, and he moved to Smithfield and around 1923 because they had no schools out for my brother and three sisters. I was actually born here in Smithfield, and I grew up as soon as I could drive, driving him around on his house calls, and helping him and learning a lot about medicine, it stimulated me to go into medicine, which I have been very happy that I have Well, Speaker 1 [3:05] Dr McLemore was a grand friend of mine, and I came here in 1949 I do believe. And he was practicing here at that particular time, and he and I held the distinction for several years there, both of us got more parking tickets here in town than anybody else, and we might have proud of that and Robert [3:27] drive. He never learned to drive. He drove a cars from 1912 on till he died, but he never learned to drive. Well. Imma, Speaker 1 [3:36] tell you something about Dr Michael Moore. You may or may not know. But did you know that at one time, he co authored a a song and wrote a collaborated with one of the old country music stars in this area and wrote a song. Oh, George [3:51] I didn't know that. No, Speaker 1 [3:52] I can, I can give you a copy of that in a few minutes, if you'll stand by. But you brought a very famous personality with you from wait up in Ohio. Yeah, from Springfield. Springfield, Robert [4:06] Ohio, smiling. Bob Yance. He owns a station there, and he is a well known figure in Ohio. He wants to introduce David garden. He was master of ceremonies, and that's how he became interested in Smithfield. I'd give him my Smithfield heralds to read, and he would read them, and he, I think he read them more thoroughly than I and when I said I was coming down the Smithfield, he wanted to come with me. So here he is. Speaker 1 [4:34] All right, let's bring on to the microphone here smiling. Bob Yance, at one time in 1965 was the national disc jockey of the year. I understand So Bob, it's good to have you in Johnston County. Nice Bob Yance [4:48] to be in Johnston County. I like places like Johnson. I like small towns like this. Well, I Speaker 1 [4:53] do too, and they tell me that you were the hookworm. Is i. Bob Yance [5:00] Please, please distract that hookworm to me, Speaker 1 [5:03] but Bob, my understanding was that you were the first talk show radio personality in the United States, and you were the forerunner, and you became the very first person where people called in on the telephone and began a talk show in 1965 and as a result of that, 1940 Excuse me, but as a result of that, you were honored as the national disc jockey of the year. And did you have any idea that you would be the forerunner of Rush Limbaugh and some of the other talk show personalities of today? Well, Bob Yance [5:41] I've had a lot of people call me and ask me about that. They say this, it was 1951 was when the first talk show was done, and that was in Springfield, Ohio. Speaker 1 [5:50] Okay, tell me a little bit about the show. How long was it and what was it called? And it lasted Speaker 2 [5:55] for two and a half hours. Started at seven and went to 9:30 Unknown Speaker [6:01] Are you still active in radio? Bob Yance [6:03] Still still active in radio? Got radio stations in Tifton, one to Springfield and one of Brunswick, but I don't do anything anymore. Well, Unknown Speaker [6:12] you probably have done real well. Bob Yance [6:13] Oh man, you understand? Speaker 1 [6:15] Yeah. I wonder if you met my friend who owns a lot of radio stations. There used to be a principal right here in Johnston County, George Beasley. Have you ever heard or heard of George Beasley? Bob Yance [6:25] He's still around, yeah, George, Speaker 1 [6:27] well, not here in Johnston County, but many years ago, George was the principal down here at Meadow School, which is about 20 miles from here, and he is now one of the largest group owners of radio stations in America. Georgia is a very yeah Georgia, very close friend of mine, and at one time, was a school principal, but later went into broadcasting on a full time basis. I can tell you that today that his net worth is over $200 million and so he's done rather well. Bob yontz from Ohio here, what is radio like in Ohio these days? Bob Yance [7:11] Radios talk like you're doing radios the big band, believe it or not, around that neck of the woods, we're Speaker 1 [7:20] talking about big band. You talking about Ava garden. I had the pleasure of doing my first broadcasting over in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and our radios in Tennessee. Now there might be a rocky mountain Tennessee, yeah, well, that's kind of a state song out there, but there's a rocky mountain North Carolina. And I know that when I tell you about this gentleman, he had one of the more prominent radio shows in America. He had the most, had the number one rated radio show in America at that time. His name was Kay Kaiser from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and I had the pleasure of knowing Kay, and he'd come over to the station periodically, and we visit, and had a grand time, but he's one of the grand old names, radio, yeah, so Bob Yance [8:08] you remember Kaiser's Speaker 1 [8:10] College of musical knowledge, yeah? And then, too, as you're down here, you're about 20 miles away from where and the Griffith taught school over in gold area a little while ago. Yeah, well, he taught school over here in Goldsboro. He did. He sure I didn't know that. And you know, John Scott trotters from North Carolina, skinny Innis and, man, Bob Yance [8:32] yeah, skinny Innis, yeah, Speaker 1 [8:37] a lot. Skinny Innis and Les Brown is from North Carolina too. Les Brown, I believe he's from the Fuquay era a lot of the big bands, yes, sir. That's another name, George Hal Thurston. And Hal never to get all that well known. We was pretty good at one time, nevertheless. Well, why do you think all about all this rap that talk radio has been having here lately that they might have promoted right wing ill will in America, you feel that's a bad rap on radio, or what right Bob Yance [9:15] it's sort of bad rap. Russ Limbaugh called all this trouble. He didn't cause that trouble out there in Oklahoma City, that's for sure. Speaker 1 [9:23] I don't think so either. But one thing very rusty, Bob Yance [9:29] have you carry us Limbo air? Speaker 1 [9:30] Oh no, no, no. We don't carry rush here. We they carry him out on one of the radio stations up in Raleigh, but he's well known in this area. I guarantee you that. But out in Ohio, when I think about Ohio, I think about football, the Bucha. And football Bucha, Ohio State, yes, sir. And I remember a long time ago, the Duke University used to play a lot of games against Ohio, and they'd win maybe one out of 10 games. But Ohio had had some of the great. Football teams of all time. They Bob Yance [10:02] did. They had some great football teams, poor basketball teams in the year 1984 94 though, Speaker 1 [10:08] Dr Robert McLemore over he has a Bucha athletic committeeman with Ohio State University, and he's a big Bucha I bet he's, I bet he knew Woody Hayes. Did you ever know Woody Hayes. The Robert [10:21] last public appearance of Woody Hayes made before he died was to give the principal talk at my retirement dinner. Speaker 1 [10:28] All right, you know, there's another fascinating little fact about Smithville here, about three houses down the road here is Doug Moe, Mary Jane twisdale, and Doug was recently the coach of the Philadelphia seven Sixers. Was coach of the Denver Nuggets at one time. And Doug Moe very good friend of Dean Smith up at Carolina. But Doug's wife Jane grew up within just right here. The radio station, you might say, and Doug comes by here every now and then, maybe on average, once, about every three or four years. But see, Johnston County has a lot of well known people in it. I'm beginning to believe that you know that and Ava garden, of course, would be the best known personality we Robert [11:21] lives up there. That's at Gilbert. And snox is Stevenson's hometown home place, isn't it, right up, didn't they live just up buffalo road here? Speaker 1 [11:31] Yes, Knox has passed away in Gilbert. My dear friend Gilbert is still living in Gilbert. And Helen and they operate the Riverside planets warehouse here in town. And by the way, I'm sales supervisor of the Smithfield tobacco market, and that's the best tobacco market in the world. And glad to have you fellows from Ohio. And if you ever grow in a tobacco up there, I want you to bring it down here and sell Robert [11:52] it. Well, I I would believe that, but back in 1939 we were injudicious enough to plant too much acreage in tobacco. I went off to college that year. I was helping supervise the growing and harvesting of 100 acres of Fluke here at tobacco. And we sold 35,000 pounds of tobacco before I went off to college that year. Don't ask me about tobacco. I never Why did I become a surgeon? I wanted to get off the farm. Speaker 1 [12:24] Well, talking about something else, very fascinating. You gentlemen here, and we were talking about the back of Mr. N L Perkins, and we have his picture on the wall out here. At one time, Mr. Perkins introduced on the air the Kaiser College of musical knowledge. He introduced Edward R Murrow on there. He was an auctioneer, and he did the little, I know you remember the old you've been on the air here, oh, a long time, but you remember the old commercial, LS, MFT, Lucky Strike means fine to back up well at that was Mr. Perkins. Q, hey, hey, hey. Good ones sold to America. And you know, then, oh, I don't know about 1920 now, we went on air here at WMP in 1950 but I have been broadcasting here in Johnston County since 1949 but I was open Rocky Mount in 1947 and 48 and that's where I ran into Kay Kaiser and Georgia Carroll and some of those fascinating people in the Rocky Mount area. This smile and Bob yontz Here, the first talk show disc jockey in America. The Forerunner was the national disc jockey of the year. And like me, I know you like the big band sound. Do Bob Yance [13:46] you know? Yeah, like the big band sound? Speaker 1 [13:47] Well, Bill Joe Austin will always be revered. I Bob Yance [13:53] just Bill Joe Austin whenever in his house, Speaker 1 [13:57] yeah, his sister, yeah, he was, he's one of the he's one of the grandest. He did. He played everything clarinet. He played it. Claire, he played everything. Bill Joe, yeah, he was he even walked in rhythm. He even when he when he would, when he would walk down the street, he'd walk in rhythm. And he was just everything was harmonious about his life, and he loved everybody, I'll guarantee you that. So he was one, and he's got a book out that you ought to read sometime. I was given Bob Yance [14:29] the book by his sister yesterday. Okay, well, so great. You do a remote broadcast from from the living room, the music room, Speaker 1 [14:37] and one of the band members that played with Bill Joe that he mentions in his book is Jimmy Capps. And Jimmy is now the chief musician for the Statler brothers out in Nashville, Tennessee. He's also one of the he's head of the opera stage band out at the Grand Ole Opry. And Jimmy played with Bill Joe. And Jimmy Capps is from the. Scenario here, Bob, it's good talking with the day and getting all this information, and you play an instrument. Awesome. No, not really. I can play with Billy Joe then, no, I didn't play with Bill Bob Yance [15:12] Joe or Billy Joe. Bill Joe, Bill Joe, Bill Joe. Speaker 1 [15:15] But everybody played with Bill Joe. But he could take anybody and make a musician out of him. Yeah, Bob Yance [15:21] he's making a musician out of his grandson. He surely is what excited Well, boy, Joe has a band Robert [15:30] down. Son, Joe has a band down in New Bern, where's practicing law. He's doing the same thing down there that Bill Joe did for years. Joe plays saxophone. So that's Bill Joe's last night, and played the saxophone, of course, is Dave Stubbs son, John, all right. Speaker 1 [15:51] Well, we've had a sort of a family reunion here today, and we've had from Ohio here, the sons of the late Dr McLemore, and are both you gentlemen, doctors, you're a surgeon and you're a surgeon. Robert [16:04] I'm a surgeon and George is an internist, Speaker 1 [16:09] okay, but both of you look like you're doing rather well, so I wouldn't say that. I always thought a surgeon made a lot more money than an internist, Robert [16:17] no, but they don't work as long, and surgery really takes something out of you. Speaker 1 [16:23] Okay, do you specialize in any particular kind of surgery? Robert [16:26] I was a general surgeon. Yeah, he's Speaker 1 [16:29] a real cut up. Yeah, I can see that. And, my goodness, Robert, it's good to have you with us and George and Bob. And would you come back sometime when we have more time to visit one Robert [16:41] minute before you got off. Did you help the Menges boys invent Mountain Dew when you in Rocky Mount? Speaker 1 [16:49] No, but I knew the Menges and they lived on Sunset Avenue, and that's the same street that Kay Kaiser lived on, but they lived about 789, 10, blocks out on Sunset Avenue. Robert [17:00] I was at Carolina with the Menges boys, so that's how I knew that they did the Mountain Dew thing. Yeah, Speaker 1 [17:06] one of the boys at Carolina, when you know, talking about Carolina, Kay Kaiser, wrote that song about Hark, the sound of Tar Heel voices. I know that you were very familiar with that. Yes, I Robert [17:16] saw Kay Kaiser. He was a head cheerleader there just before I went off to school, and then he come back for pep rallies before the Duke game. Duke, Duke. You beat Duke. But anyway, yes, I saw Kate Kaiser a number of times there. Speaker 1 [17:35] That was in the days of Wallace Wade and Carl Snavely and some of the grand old coaches of the past never did quite achieve the statue of Woody Hayes, but we had some pretty good coaches out there. Jim Tatum died, you know, and probably would have brought Carolina to prominence, but never did. Died prematurely, but Bob, thanks a million for coming out here today, surviving. Carl, yes, sir. Thank you. Carl, nice to meet you Bob, and ask George [18:05] you one quick thing. Did you ever hear of Kay Kaiser song? I don't want to get well. Never heard of I have that thing. And you know, he was a Christian Scientist, Unknown Speaker [18:18] that's absolutely right. I George [18:19] thought it was very interesting that he wrote this. Bill Joe loved that song, I don't want to get well. I don't want to get well. Speaker 1 [18:27] Well on a slow boat to China, three little fishes and an itty bitty pool, and all those we remember very well. And the Woody Woodpecker song too. Robert [18:38] Ask Bob how he got the name? Smiling? Bob, Unknown Speaker [18:42] yeah. How'd you get that name? Smiling, Bob, Bob Yance [18:45] I used to be a window was for an all girls school called Smith College. Is that the right one? Did I get the right University? Speaker 1 [18:55] Alright, boy, we've had some good fun out here today. And these gentlemen here and Smith, we want to say hello tomorrow. She's one of the sweetest people in the United States. And Lucille and Gladys, I knew all of them, and they're going to make some pictures here now, Bob, if you will, just sort of stand next to me here. Yeah. Okay, how about that? Yeah. Well, they got it nice in you Bob and come back and we'll do some more visiting, and Larry will kind of go back to you.