
Public radio listeners are very familiar with on-air membership campaigns. But in the early days of FM 91.5 no one knew exactly how to do them, or if they would even work. This photo shows some of the early on-air announcers on FM 91.5, including Larry Richardson, ‘76 (center on horse), taken on the Seabreeze Carousel as a promotional poster for “The Great Warhorse Orgy,” one of the station’s first fundraising gimmicks where the station played nothing but classical warhorses from 6:00am to midnight, while asking listeners for their support – and it worked! Listeners were very responsive, and still are today, which is why we are proud to be celebrating FM 91.5’s 50th anniversary.
In the late 70’s/early 80’s FM 91.5 also hosted a program for children called Sounds Like Fun, hosted for 10 years by Eastman School of Music faculty member Mitzi Collins (picture top right), nationally and internationally recognized virtuoso player of the hammered dulcimer. Each week children would be invited into the WXXI radio studios to explore and experience a variety of musical genres, including American

folk, world and Celtic music. In 2007 Collins was named the recipient of the 2007 Artist Award for Music by the Arts and Cultural Council for Greater Rochester, an honor recognizing significant contributions to the greater Rochester cultural community. Collins was also a founder of the Golden Link Folk Singing Society and founder of her own recording label, Sampler Records Ltd. Many of her recordings feature flutist Glenda Dove and harpist Roxanne Ziegler, as well as a CD called Sounds Like Fun: Folk Songs, Games And Poems For Children.
Several classical hosts and managers joined the FM 91.5 staff through the years in the month of November, including Richard Gladwell ’74 (more about him in a minute…), Marty Buchsbaum ’76, John Proffitt ’79, Steve Stonewell ’95, Jeanne Fisher ’96, and James Aldrich-Moodie ’22.

Speaking of Richard Gladwell, pictured (center) in the studio in the early days (notice the LP, turntable and audio console with rotating knobs), a photo of the group that went on the With Heart and Voice Tour of England (I haven’t been able to track down the year), and a late picture of Richard in the updated studios and CDs.
British-born with an Anglican background, at age six Gladwell was accepted as a chorister in an East London Church. He continued to sing in church choirs in the region until his military service 1939-1945. In 1955 Gladwell came to the United States and worked in management for both Xerox and Eastman Kodak through the years.
Throughout his life he amassed a huge collection of more than 6,000 records and over 4,000 CDs, many of which are still used in the production of With Heart and Voice, which he hosted for 30 years. Gladwell felt a calling to share “God’s music,” and With Heart and Voice allowed him to do just that. In March 2009 he received the Benemerenti medal from Benedict XVI during a special concert in his honor at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester. The medal is one of the Vatican’s highest honors to the laity. Gladwell passed away in October of 2009 but With Heart and Voice has continued on WXXI Classical 91.5 FM in his honor and memory.
Read Richard’s obituary by Stuart Low.