Dana's story....

The link below will only be good for 14 days, so here, thanks to the Berkshire Eagle, is the story of Dana's passing.


'Voice of Berkshires' dies of heart attack
By Benning W. De La Mater, Berkshire Eagle Staff



Monday, November 28
PITTSFIELD — Dana Jones, the man who greeted Berkshire radio listeners each morning with a baritone voice and a good joke, died Friday at Berkshire Medical Center of a heart attack.
He was 83.

"He seemed indestructible," said WBRK owner and Jones' former boss, Willard "Huck" Hodgkins. "It's a sad day, but I think we can celebrate his life."

Jones was hired at the newly formed WBEC in 1947 and first hit the air on the premier broadcast on March 25. He worked there until 1980, later joining WBRK. He moved to WUHN and finished his career there in 1988.

Jones was known locally as the morning guy for WBEC. He did sportscasts, interviews with visiting dignitaries and politicians and on-the-spot reporting. He also served as the station's program director.

But he was best known for his children's show, "Storytime," and for the humorous characters he invented and interviewed, including Grampa Crabgrass and Uncle Ephraim.

'Quite a phenomenon'

"He had these voices and characters he'd create," Hodgkins said. "He'd come in at 3 in the morning and put the voices on tape. He could carry a conversation with himself like nobody.

"He was quite a phenomenon in Pittsfield for some years."

Jones said his favorite part of broadcasting was speaking to children. Interviewed in The Berkshire Eagle in 1957, Jones said: "I can't see (the children), but from the letters I receive from the parents, I guess the children are my best listeners. I try to make every birthday greeting a personal message. It's not too difficult to smile when you form a mental picture of kids getting your message."

Jones, an only child, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 14, 1922. The day after Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army.


He was promoted to sergeant and served in New Guinea, the Philippines and Morotai.

After the death of his father, he moved with his mother to 316 North St. Pittsfield. He married the former Marcia Vern Angelo in 1959 and had a son, Kent.

For 12 years, Jones handed off the broadcast to Bill Hickey.

"He was the morning guy, and I was the afternoon guy," said Hickey, 79. "He was our No. 1 guy, and his voice sounded great. And those imitations, wow."

His voice, which was coined as "The Voice of the Berkshires," was deep and distinctive. Hickey said Jones had the opportunity to move up to bigger markets — he was once offered a job in Washington, D.C., but declined.

"He was a hometown boy, and he liked the people here, and the people liked him."

Jones was a huge New York Jets fan, and was once witness to a UFO.

"He told me a story about coming to work one morning and seeing this UFO in the sky," Hodgkins said. "He said he really saw something quite strange, and I believed him."

'He was a character'

Hodgkins said that, of the relatively small fraternity of broadcasters who have graced the local airwaves, Jones should be regarded as one of the best.

"He was a character," Hodgkins said. "A great guy. He made it a three-man show when it was only a one-man show."

Benning W. De La Mater can be reached at bdelamater@berkshire eagle.com or at (413) 496-6243.