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Ivor Hugh, Connecticut Broadcasting Legend, Passes

Chion Wolf

Ivor Hugh went on the air with WCCC in 1947, when the station lived in the Bond Hotel. Radio was king. There was a grand piano in his studio, and every big star who played Hartford stayed at the Bond and dropped in on his show.

That meant that Hugh, who died in his sleep last night at the age of 86, shared the mic with Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole, and Eugene Ormandy. 

He also went on to invent a series of popular children's characters including Leroy the Duck (a radio star whose birthday party was held at the Bushnell) and Flippy the Clown, a "kiddie show" host in the early days of television. 

But Ivor Hugh was no flash in the pan. He created a show called "Good Evening, Good Music" and was still on the air at WJMJ-FM 66 years after he started. His last show was in late July. Click through to hear Colin McEnroe's entire July interview with Ivor Hugh.

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Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.

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