One of Edmonton's best known broadcasters, Larry Langley, passed away this morning. His years as Anchor for the CBC Edmonton Supper Hour TV News would have been enough to keep him as a Household Name, but he followed that up with a full decade as an Edmonton Councillor.
I knew him before and after those two accomplishments. Before at CBC Yellowknife, when we relied on CBC Radio in Edmonton for our network feed. And, to make up for our lack of News Wire. I would routinely teletype the Edmonton Radio Newsroom for the latest Sports scores, and would get responses from people like Bill Laing and Larry Langley. After moving to Edmonton, I would phone Larry from time to time, usually with something helpful like "you left the mic. on" when music was playing.
I finally met Larry face to face when I joined the Edmonton Broadcasters Club and also attended the CBC Retirees Annual General Meeting. Seeing the great job that Larry did as M/C for the latter, I talked him into reprising the role for the Edmonton Broadcasters Club. After a couple of discussions during Club Luncheons, I learned that Larry and his wife lived nearby my home, and would sometimes run into him when we were both out for a walk in the neighbourhood.
I'll keep his Club page updated with the latest info:
http://edmontonbroadcasters.com/ebc/mem ... ley-larry/Larry had a great memory and a real interest in people. But I will leave the last words to Larry himself, in his Club biography: "broadcasting is a great career, full of fascinating characters, and of unexpected occurrences."