Roy Leonard's son: He was kind in private as well as public life
Editor's note: This remembrance of famed WGN radio personality Roy Leonard, 83, who died Sept. 4, was written for the Daily Herald by one of his six sons, Kyle Leonard.
It really wasn't very surprising to me when, walking into a small storefront with my father, the shop's owner would look up at him and proclaim, “You're Roy Leonard!”
It was a little surprising when this happened in Skagway, Alaska.
We shared our father with thousands of listeners on the radio, and then more who watched television and film reviews on WGN television. The audience grew even larger in 1985 when he took over WGN-TV's “Family Classics.” Our father had a job that put him in the public eye. His work ethic and energy was unsurpassed, but that is not surprising if you knew what most people did not know: the private side of Roy Leonard.
When Roy was just a young child, his father walked out on his family. His mother worked for the Luce family, of Time magazine fame, as a housekeeper but barely made enough to make ends meet, so he left home at a very young age. His first job was cleaning kennels at a dog shelter. He was able to get a scholarship that would help pay for his education at Emerson College, but it was not enough, so he got a job as the assistant to an older woman who could not get around without assistance. He used to say he didn't grow up on the wrong side of the tracks, he grew up on them.
He joined the service and was sent to Nome, Alaska, to broadcast to the troops on Armed Forces Radio before returning to Boston. There he married his true love, Sheila Marie Finn, whom he met when she cast him in a local theater production. Then his radio career took off. It was in 1967, when WGN radio needed new talent, that our family's Midwest adventure began.
His hours on the air enabled him to be home by 5 p.m. almost every day and 6 p.m. was dinner. We were expected to be there and there were no interruptions. If the phone rang, he answered it and politely said we were having dinner and took a message before setting the phone down. I am sure if we were dining today, cellphones would be silenced. We talked about our days, politics and the latest music, sometimes all at the same time. He would also talk about the latest authors, plays and theater productions because these were his passion and he would listen when we shared thoughts on the same subjects. He learned as much from us as we did from him.
While he enjoyed jazz from Dave Brubeck to Frank Sinatra, he opened his ears as he walked around the house and asked us what we liked. He was the first to play Bruce Springsteen and the Grateful Dead on WGN radio and we raided his records learning about Louie Bellson, Mel Torme and other jazz greats. He took us to our first concerts, never trading his fame for free tickets but always paying his way. We saw George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Elvis Presley, but he also encouraged us to join him when he went to see shows for work. His interview with Rich Little and Mel Torme was often repeated on his show, but we saw them at the Mill Run Playhouse with Torme playing Gene Krupa's drum kit.
There are the little things that you remember about your father, like:
• He was never late for anything. He stressed being late was a sign that you did not respect the time of the person you were meeting.
• He converted to Catholicism in order to marry our mom and went to church regularly his entire life.
• He really enjoyed spending his later years with his grandchildren and made each of them feel as if they were special.
• Before he traveled to Europe he drank Budweiser. After his first trip abroad he drank Beck's or Heineken or a wine from Burgundy, France.
• He would gladly pay the price to have a meal from the likes of the late Charlie Trotter or Grant Achatz. He noted some people spend hundreds of dollars a night on season tickets to sports teams while he liked great food.
• He loved animals, especially dogs. He even had a pet raccoon when he was a child.
• He could fall asleep and catch a catnap anywhere and wake up when it was necessary for him to pay attention. No one knows how.
• He would get to his sons' sporting events whenever possible. He even drove with our mom cross-country to the college soccer games we were playing in.
• He never drove a fancy car and, when some of our friends received cars when they turned 17, he told us if we got a job and bought a car he might help with insurance.
• He used to percolate his coffee and on Saturdays unplug the pot when he left to do his show. At 1 p.m. when he came home, he'd plug it back in, let it percolate in the old grounds and have a cup. We attributed this to his time in Alaska.
• He was a chain smoker before he met our mother, who hated smoking and made him quit.
• He watched every single game of the 2014 World Cup.
• He realized just about 6 months ago while watching the Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel shows that suit styles really had changed from three buttons to two. This prompted a trip to Macy's.
• He rarely took a day off even when he was sick and he didn't understand why people would take sick days if they weren't actually sick.
The private Roy Leonard was no different from the public Roy Leonard, which is probably why people listened to his show and trusted his opinions. He told us people can always spot a phony, so always be yourself. He taught us by example. He told us to respect people and you will be respected. He stressed to be polite and keep an open mind to other people's thoughts, beliefs and ideas. And he encouraged us to pursue our dreams, but said work hard to find success.
During his hospital stay, he fought hard to get well and kept a positive attitude. He was kind to the hospital staff, who told us that nurses were signing up to take care of him. He was the most gracious ill person I have ever witnessed. When we arrived, he would ask us how we were doing and how the grandchildren were doing. He was not afraid of dying at all because of his family and faith. He knew the time would come, and he just accepted it with such amazing grace.
Do not be surprised how much love you can receive by simply being kind. Our father was kind and we have seen the love he engendered in the notes, commentary and personal remembrances friends and strangers have shared with us.
On behalf of Roy, thank you for listening to his story as he enjoyed being with you as much as many of you did listening to him.
Services for Roy Leonard
Visitation: 4 to 9 p.m. today at Wm. H. Scott Funeral Home, 1100 Greenleaf Ave., Wilmette
Funeral: Mass 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary Catholic Church, 1012 Lake St., Evanston