RIP – Roger Erickson

Charlie Boone and Roger Erickson

I was sad to hear of the passing of WCCO radio legend Roger Erickson. When I was a kid, half the state of Minnesota listened to WCCO radio and Roger Erickson was one of its biggest stars.

In the summer when I was a kid, I used to listen to the mid morning Boone and Erickson radio show. I loved their corny jokes and G rated humor. I would call in to their show and tell a joke. They must of thought it was a cute gimmick because they encouraged me to be a regular contributor.

One day they invited me to visit the studio and sit in on the show. I took them up on their offer. I took the city bus to downtown Minneapolis to visited the show. Boone and Erickson could not have been nicer.

That summer, I continued to listen to Boone and Erickson and pretended I was a radio announcer like them on my little reel to reel tape recorder (sadly their is no evidence of this). Eventually, I grew out of of this stage and Boone and Erickson were no longer cool to me.

Today I remember their kindness and I am saddened they are both gone (Boone passed a couple of years ago). I remember Roger Erickson as a consummate radio professional, but also a clown. My greatest memory will be the kindness he showed to to me, an anonymous latchkey kid, by taking my jokes seriously.