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One of the most dynamic, indi vidualistic, and expressive voices on radio today belongs to WILS News Director Bob Runyon. He is well known for his honest and candid opinions expressed through his editorials heard daily on WILS. Although he has demonstrated— on various subjects—his protection of the general well being of the Greater Lansing citizentry, some of Bob's editorials have been very pun gent to the prejudicial taste of the Lansing area bigotry. Also, on occasion, he has been very outspoken in criticizing the power elite within the Negro com munity itself (letter to the editor in the May 17 issue of the Lansing Post). One such editorial was broadcast on June 7. Bob ‘‘went out on a limb” to express his views on a subject which is touchy to both Negroes and whites. “Would you want Your Daughter To Marry One (a Negro?)” was the title of the editorial. ‘If the girl loves him and he loves her, if they have the necessary mutuality of interest and if they both possess the vital maturity to realize that the lunatic pure white and pure black racists will make hell for them and will despise their children.” ‘If the two people have the cour age,’ he continued, ‘‘there is no good reason why they should not marry.” The admiration of the courage shown by Bob—during times when choosing sides could be disastrous— can be shown in a few lines of a letter sent to him by a listener, Mrs Albertine (Tina) Guy, 928 Mid dle Street. She wrote, “As a member of the Baha'i Faith, it is a wonderful feeling to hear another person ex pounding the principle that is so much a part of our faith. And that is, that all men are created equal. As Baha's we are taught that the earth is one country, and mankind its citizens, and that men are fruit of one tree and the leaves of one branch.” Runyon has been active in civic affairs and organizations whose purpose is to better relations be tween the races. He is past president of the Great er Lansing Council of Alcoholism and a board member of the Nation al Foundation. He is a member of the Michigan Historical Society, sec retary-treasurer of Sigma Delta Chi (Journalistic), and a past member of the Grand Rapids Urban League. He is also a member of the Wil liamston City Council. He has been the News Director of WOOD-TVV, and has taught radio, speech, and drama at the University of Minnesota. Runyon is now helping to orga nize a Lansing Urban League, WILS News Director Bob Runyon
Newspaper Details
Lansing Post
Lansing, Michigan, US
Fri, Jul 19, 1963
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Richard H.
