User:Teblick/Harvey Hudson

Harvey Hudson (September 21, 1921 - November 2, 2009) was a radio personality in Richmond, Virginia, best known for his work on now-defunct AM station WLEE.

Early years
The son of Harvey L. Hudson, Sr. and Mary Lillian Hudson, was born Harvey Lee Hudson, Jr. in Richmond, Virginia. He developed an interest in entertainment early as he attended a variety of live performances with his father. As an adolescent, he learned to imitate comedians that he heard on the radio. His parents paid for him to take lessons in elocution to improve his public speaking.

He was a graduate of John Marshall High School and the University of Richmond, majoring in economics and English. He eventually also studied at the University of Virginia and the Harvard University School of Business

On-air
In 1940, Hudson joined the staff of WRVA-AM as a part-time announcer. In an interview in 2009, he recalled, "I just made station breaks; every 15 minutes to a half hour you had to say, 'This is WRVA, Richmond, Virginia. Down where the South begins.'" He gained full-time status in 1942. In 1944, an item in the trade publication Billboard described Hudson as WRVA's "ace platter boy".

In 1946, after becoming "an established morning-show personality", he left WRVA to work at WLEE, which had begun operation on October 1, 1945.

Working at WRNL in 1978, Hudson was the host of Richmond's first nighttime radio talk show. Later in his career, Hudson had a program, "Harvey Hudson's Passing Parade", on WTVR-AM and WZEZ in Richmond.

Management
In 1955, Hudson was named manager of radio and sales for WLEE. He later served as manager of WLEE Broadcasting Corporation, then became manager of WLEE and WXEX-TV after the stations were bought by Nationwide Communications Corporation.

Ownership
Hudson was a co-founder of TVX Broadcast Group, which was a major operator of independent television stations, including WRLH in Richmond, in the 1980s.

Community activities
Hudson was often involved in activities in Richmond, including being the master of ceremonies for the Virginia Junior Miss, Miss Richmond, and Miss Virginia pageants. His obituary in the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that he "was in demand as a toastmaster, radio trainer, professional speaker and spokesman."

Recognition
In January 2010, Virginia's legislature passed House Joint Resolution No. 38, "Celebrating the life of Harvey Lee Hudson, Jr."

Personal life
Hudson was a member of Epiphany Lutheran Church.

The authors of the book Virginia's Legendary Santa Trains wrote about Hudson's social life, "he dated starlets and rubbed elbows with the toasts of Broadway and Hollywood, songwriter Bernie Wayne, Frank Sinatra and Milton Berle among them."

He was married to the late Barbara D. Hudson.