| Paul Kallinger ("Your Good Neighbor Along The Way · From Del Rio, Texas!") By: BILL MACK When I received the news a few minutes ago that Paul Kallinger had passed away last night (Wednesday, May 30th), it immediately came to mind that I had lost a combination of both, friend and hero. Oh, so many nights I dialed in XERF, Del Rio, Texas during the time I was dreaming I could make it in radio some day. And I hoped I might make it close to being another Paul Kallinger, realizing I could never be as great as the man himself. I didn't dial in the giant Mexican border radio station to hear the country music, although I enjoyed listening to the numerous Hanks (Williams, Snow and Thompson). Most of my enjoyment was in hearing the deep voice of Paul as he shouted out the good news about how you could order baby chicks by mail or garden seeds that were "guaranteed to produce the healthiest vegetables and rose bushes to be found on the planet earth!" Everything ordered was shipped by mail. Nothing advertised on XERF and exploited via the magic voice of Paul Kallinger was available on the shelves at your favorite store. But everything was "guaranteed" to be the best that money could buy · and the cost was always so "very, very little!ä Paul had been sidelined with health problems for the past several years but was still hoping to get back into radio. He told me he would like to hook up with me on-the-air when he got to feeling better. "Wouldn't we make a team?" He laughed. Paul visited my radio show many times, always making me feel a bit inferior when I heard his blessed tones in action behind the microphone. It was only a few weeks ago that he telephoned me after hearing I was working on my book for Rutledge-Hill. He informed me that he wanted to put his memoirs into print. -Bill Mack |