Were sorry to report that Hall of Fame Inductee Dale Dorman has passed away. Dale Dorman, the “master craftsman of rock ‘n’ roll” The Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame mourns the passing of 2010 inductee Dale Dorman and extends its sympathies to his entire family and especially to Dale’s wife Linda Yerardi Dorman, his son Scott and Scott’s wife Cynthia, and his daughter Christina Dorman Frament and her husband Frank. Our 2010 induction ceremony program book had this tribute to Dale: Boston has had its share of exciting rock ‘n’ roll disc jockeys, but Dale Dorman is its legendary master craftsman. With his lightening fast reflexes and a gift for genuinely clever patter, he did what few others have ever done — he remained a force and a positive influence on radio and music for 45 years. It all really began when he was starting out in Syracuse in 1964. He sent a tape to an up-and-coming programmer named Bill Drake at KYNO/Fresno who was gaining a national reputation for his unique style of broadcasting. Drake liked what he heard, hired Dale, and under his tutelage Dale became part of an approach that revolutionized popular music radio. Dale was a master craftsman of rock ’n roll and Boston listeners were the beneficiaries. His local career included extended stays on WRKO (1968-1978); WXKS-FM (1978-2003); and WODS (2003-2008). In its day, WRKO was considered somewhat of a radio monster, boasting Dorman in morning drive. It was practically unthinkable back then that AM radio would be vulnerable. But as Dorman recalls, “We knew FM would take over, just because of the quality sound of the music. We had long discussions about that and also owned an automated station [WRKO-FM, later WROR] that played Oldies.” One day at a meeting, Dorman suggested that management flip WRKO-AM to WRKO-FM and let WRKO-AM do Talk. “The music sounded great in stereo on FM,” he says. The rest is history. Dale’s wife shared with us this obituary: Dale Dorman, of Tewksbury, MA, loving husband of Linda Yerardi Dorman, passed away at his home on October 21, 2014 after a long illness. He is survived by his wife Linda, a son Scott Dorman and wife Cynthia a daughter Christina Dorman Frament and her husband Frank, a grandson, William Dorman, step daughter Alissa Minehart and step-in daughter Denise Di Luca and a sister Leilani Reitano also of Homer NY. Born in Homer, a small town in Cortland County, New York, Dale became a well known and respected radio broadcaster. As a child, Dale was fascinated by radio, and knew it was his future. In his late teens, he started making the rounds of radio stations in Syracuse. In 1964, by chance or by destiny, one of the many doors he ‘banged’ on for an audition had an opening. Dale was hired and the rest is history. His affectionate nickname, ‘Uncle Dale’ bestowed on him by listeners when he was just 21, talked to us all, every day – for more than forty years. He was considered a master craftsman with a gift for banter and a laser sharp wit. Yet, he made people feel that they knew him personally. His radio career took him to from the East Coast to the West Coast and back where he spent the last 40 years playing top 40 hits to the rock n’ roll generation. Later, Dale played ‘Oldies’ to the same generation who relived events in their lives by listening to their music and his voice. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2010. Family and friends attended a private service on Friday October 24, 2014.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 16:34:56 +0000
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