A true LEGEND left us on Friday August 24th. The Truckin' Bozo Dale Sommers passed away. He was 68.

I remember back in 1984 when they told us at 700 WLW that he was coming to do a trucking show at the station. For a moment, I envisioned a guy in a Bozo the Clown suit doing the show.  I quickly found out that was wrong and I was in the presence of a legend.

The Bozo taught me about radio. In fact, one of my first sportscasts was on his show. Bozo taught me to respect truck drivers and they are just like everyone else. I remember him telling me many times that we would be Naked, hungry and sleepy without truck drivers.

I also found out the power Bozo had on his show when he announced either in the late 80''s or early 90's about the Indiana boycott. State officials were going to split the speed limit for cars and trucks. Bozo told truckers to not buy gas, chips, cigarettes or anything in Indiana until they fixed this. It worked. About six months or so later, Indiana Governor Robert Orr and other officials came to the station in downtown Cincinnati on bended knee to tell the Bozo he prevailed and the boycott was called off.

The Bozo was a professional in every sense of the word. He was THE voice of the American Trucker and will be missed dearly. If it wasn['t for the Bozo I would not have met some of the GREATEST people I have ever met....THE AMERICAN TRUCKER.

Some of those GREAT people go by the name of Goodwrench, Lobster, Beatnik Bandit, Monkey Gaougher, Yoda, Snakebite and many, many more.

Johnny Cash once sang a song "Sailors on the Concrete Sea" and the Bozo was the Admiral of every truck driver in America.

Dale and I had a special bond of not only working together but he also attended Colerain High School.

I hope you take the time over the weekend and the days ahead to just wave to a truck driver out on the road whereever you are. Thank a truck driver if you see them and\or do something nice for 'em.  If you are a trucker, how about a toot of your horn at 12 05 am over the weekend when ATN comes on the air. We can let the Bozo know we are thinking of him as he looks down from heaven.

RIP my friend.

From the Empire State to the Golden Gate.......

SEG