Phil Menger, 71, on Feb. 24, in his sleep, at home in Abbotsford. Menger was a longtime BC-based newsman with a career spanning print, TV and radio. After working as an ongoing contributor to CBC Radio, starting in the early 1970s, and writing for the Quesnel Cariboo Observer, Menger made the leap to television at CFTK-TV and Radio in Terrace. From 1980-85, Menger worked both in front of and behind the camera, in news and current affairs. He went on to join the CNW Group (Cision) for more two decades in a sales role. Among his side projects was volunteering at University of British Columbia campus radio station CiTR. A lifelong learner, Menger obtained several degrees and diplomas, including part-time Communications studies at Simon Fraser University, and a diploma in Library and Information Technology from University of the Fraser Valley, in addition to his Arts degree from Northern Virginia Community College.
Ross Crain, 86, on Feb. 24. After graduating from Magee High School in Vancouver in 1950, Crain attended UBC where he found himself more interested in hanging around the University Radio Society, than his studies. Crain dropped out and took a summer job at CKWX which turned into a permanent gig hosting all-night show Concert Under the Stars. In 1955, Crain briefly moved over to CJOR, before returning to CKWX in 1956. Crain and his wife relocated to Montreal in 1960 where he worked at CFCF-TV and Radio, hosting a nightly game show before deciding to go back to school, enrolling in Commerce at McGill University. Crain worked at CFOX Montreal while pursuing his studies. He went on to pursue his MBA at Columbia University in New York and in Oct. 1966, joined the CBS Television Network Market Development Department where he analyzed audience data and wrote sales presentations. The Crains returned to Canada in 1969, settling in Toronto for the next 28 years where Crain mostly held research roles working with CTV, All-Canada Radio & Television, BBM, Calendar Magazines, The Globe and Mail, Adcom Research, and the Newspaper Marketing Bureau. Crain ended his career as a professor in Business Management at Seneca College. He retired to Vancouver in 1997 after 14 years of teaching.
Dick Williams, 100, on Feb. 19. Williams joined CKWX Vancouver as a technician and engineer in 1939. He later worked at CFGP Radio in Grande Prairie, holding an number of technical roles. Williams and his wife Betty retired to Penticton in 1990, and in 2008 moved into the Cherry Park Retirement Residence where he celebrated his 100th birthday in September.
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