WGTD's The Morning Show with Greg Berg

As WGTD approaches its 50th anniversary of being on the air, I thought it would be fun to share one of my favorite interviews done by my predecessor, longtime news director Bill Guy, who created the Morning Show and was its primary host for many year. This interview was recorded in 1998- and it concerned the republication of a fascinating document: the 1925 City Plan for Kenosha by Harland Barthomew. Bill had an insatiable curiosity, and especially loved anything related to history- so he was in heaven as he conducted this particular interview with two representatives of the Kenosha County Historical Society (who were responsible for the republication) - Bob Fuhrman and Don Jensen - as well as the man who was the City Planner for Kenosha in 1998, Ray Forgianni.

From 2014 comes a conversation with former WGTD general manager Gary Vaillancourt, who was around when the radio station went on the air fifty years ago this month. This particular conversation, however, focused on a more personal topic- the fear he experienced when he was misdiagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

WGTD is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. This interview is with two people who joined the WGTD team early in its history: Jayne Herring, who became one of the station's news directors in 1980 - and Barb Axelson, whose first on-air work for WGTD in 1983 was as an intern with Gateway's radio program. *WGTD is hosting a public reception in honor of its 50th anniversary on Friday, December 12th ... 7:30- 10:30 a.m. . There will be coffee from East View Coffee in Kenosha and kringle from O & H Danish Bakery in Racine. You can tour our studios, meet the staff, view station memorabilia, and even record an anniversary greeting that will be heard over the air in coming weeks. The event occurs in the Inspire Center, which is the northernmost building on the Kenosha campus of Gateway Technical College.

From 2009- John Eisenberg, author of 'That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory." We're replaying this interview as the Packers look forward to a very significant showdown with one of their division rivals, the resurgent Chicago Bears.

We preview Saturday night's Candlelight Concert at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Racine. We speak with Jim Schatzman and Pat Badger, Artistic Director and Associate Conductor respectively of the Choral Arts Society, which is headlining the concert. Other participants will include Mark Paffrath, Victoria Vollman, and dancers from the Studio of Classical Dance Arts.

In honor of WGTD's 50th anniversary, we speak with Former Circuit Court Judge Emily Mueller - a former chair of the Board of Trustees at Gateway Technical College - who has been a faithful listener to WGTD for several decades (and for a time was part of the station's Advisory Board.) Currently, Emily Mueller is president of the board of directors of the Racine Theater Guild. (The station is hosting a coffee and kringle reception on Friday, December 12th, 7:30 to 10:30 am in the Inspire Center on the Kenosha campus of Gateway Technical College.)

We talk with Dr. James Kinchen, director of choral activities at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, about upcoming performances of the Nguzo Saba Suite by Glenn Burleigh- a work celebrating Kwanzaa that was commissioned by UW-Parkside as part of the school's 25th anniversary celebration. This vibrant work will be performed this Sunday afternoon, Dec. 7th at 3 pm and this Monday evening, Dec. 8th at 7 pm in the Frances Bedford Concert Hall.

We catch up with Dr. Morgan Phillips, interim president of Gateway Technical College. He updates us on enrollment numbers at Gateway, talks about some exciting new initiatives, and explains where Gateway is in its search for a new president and ceo. Dr. Phillips also pays tribute to local education leader Scott Pierce, who passed away on November 20th. Dr. Pierce was a long time member of the board of trustees at Gateway.

From 2010- Harlow Giles Unger, author of "Lion of Liberty: Patrick Henry and the Call to a New Nation."

From 2008- Mark Kreidler talks about his book "6 Good Innings: How One Small Town Became a Little League Giant."

From 2008- Best-selling author John Grogan ("Marley and Me") talks about a later book titled "The Longest Trip Home: A Memoir."

We share my memorable encounter with local music legend Fred Hermes, a well-known theater organ aficionado who had a massive, 5-manual Wurlitzer theater organ in the basement of his home- which he transformed into a facsimile of a classic movie palace. This interview was recorded in Fred's amazing home back in 2008. He died ten years later. (His home recently went on the market, which is what prompts this re-sharing of this interview.)

We speak with Shawn Rivers, Racine County Veterans Service Officer, who works to make sure that area veterans are aware of and able to access the benefits that are available to them. We give special attention to the matter of mental well-being and to the special difficulties that veterans might be experiencing during this time of year. We also talk with Rivers about his own military career (he was part of the U.S. Air Force for 21 years.)

We speak with Greg Cope White, whose memoir "The Pink Marine" serves as the basis for the acclaimed new Netflix series "Boots." "The Pink Marine" tells the story of White's experience as a closeted gay man enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps in the early 1980s.

From 2003 - Todd Gitlin, author of "Letters to a Young Activist." Gitlin, who passed away in 2022 due to COVID, was a well-known activist, sociologist, and author.

James Kaplan, co-author with Jerry Lewis of "Dean & Me: A Love Story." The book explores the relationship between Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin- a professional partnership and friendship that eventually fractured.

We preview Saturday afternoon's concert by the UW-Parkside Orchestra, which will be devoted to great film music. Our guest is conductor Alvaro Garcia.

We speak with Dr. Julius Crump, a member of Carthage College's religion faculty since 2018 and co-director of the school's Teaching Commons. Dr. Crump was recently named the Rev. Raymon Pedersen Distinguished Professor of Social Change.

We talk to two young people- 13-year-old Jaxson Thomas and 19-year-old Jayden Eisenbraun - who have undertaken a huge toy drive. Jaxson happens to be on the Autism spectrum- and is happy to have people know that because he wants people to know that Autistic people are capable of accomplishing great things.

Esther Roberts, executive director of The Shalom Center, talks about all that they offer to people in Kenosha living in poverty. (There is a fundraiser this Saturday evening at Union Park Tavern will benefit The Shalom Center as well as The Sharing Center in Trevor.)

We speak with Sharon Pomaville, executive director of The Sharing Center, which works with people living in poverty in rural Kenosha County. (A fundraiser this Saturday evening at Union Park Tavern is donating proceeds to The Sharing Center and The Shalom Center.)

From 2012- Michael Schumacher, author of "Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Last week (Nov. 10) marked the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the most tragic and mysterious events ever to occur on the Great Lakes. Schumacher's book is the definitive account of the tragedy and its aftermath.

We speak with David Anderson, artistic director of the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra, about the LGSO's next concert- featuring music of Glinka, Brahms, and Dawson. The group is in the midst of its 25th Anniversary season.

We speak with best-selling author Mitch Albom ("Tuesdays with Morrie") about his latest book ..... a novel titled "Twice" in which the main character discovers that he has the ability to redo anything that he regrets- but he must live with the results. It's a fascinating exploration of what it means to be human and to live with the consequences of the choices we make.

We have been replaying interviews with documentarian Barak Goodman, who has created an array of superb films for the PBS series AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, which unfortunately has been cancelled by PBS because of federal budget cuts. This conversation from 2012 concerns Goodman's two-part documentary "Clinton," which chronicles the fascinating story and complicated legacy of President Bill Clinton.

From 2019- NPR's Linda Holmes (Pop Culture Happy Hour) talks about her first novel, "Evvie Drake Starts Over."

Kelly Cervantes talks about her new book "The Luckiest: A Memoir of Love, Loss, Motherhood, and the Pursuit of Self." Her husband is Miguel Cervantes, the man who has done more performances of the title role of the musical HAMILTON than anyone else. Kelly Cervantes's memoir is deeply moving and honest and touches on the joys and sorrows that she has experienced in her eventful life.

For National Community Foundation Week, we welcome back to the program Amy Greil, Executive Director of the Kenosha Community Foundation. Joining her, at her invitation, is Ton Tatum, Executive Director of Racine Kenosha Community Action Agency. What prompted the invitation was the urgent concerns raised about a possible interruption in funding for SNAP - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - and what people can do who have concerns for this issue.

From 2021- Kurt Davis, author of "Finding Soul: From Silicon Vally to Africa: A Personal Journey Through Twenty Countries in Africa." Davis, a tech entrepreneur, found his life utterly transformed when he traveled to Africa as part of an entrepreneurial support organization seeking to help refugees throughout the continent. His travels took him to places like South Africa, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana and more.

For Veteran's Day- From 2019- Patrick O'Donnell, author of "The Unknowns: The Untold Story of America's Unknown Soldier and World War One's Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home."

From 2018- Edward G. Lengel, author of "Never in Finer Company: The Men of the Great War's Lost Battalion." This is one of the most stirring stories of heroism to emerge from World War One. (Note- the PBS special airing Tuesday night, November 11th - "American Heart in World War One: A Carnegie Hall Tribute" focuses in large measure on this same extraordinary story."

Dr. James Ripley., director of instrumental activities at Carthage College, talks about the performance this Wednesday night, November 12th, when the Wind Orchestra will accompany a screening of the Buster Keaton silent film classic "Sherlock Jr." This is the third such project with Dr. Ripley and the Wind Orchestra - following on previous screenings of "Metropolis" and "The General."

Renowned documentarian talks about his 6-part, 12-hour documentary series "The American Revolution," which begins airing this Sunday, November 16th on PBS stations across the country, including channel 10 in Milwaukee. Burns calls this the most important project he has ever done.

From 2010 - Barak Goodman talks about the American Experience documentary film "My Lai' - an examination of the most horrific massacre of the Viet Nam War. We are resharing archival interviews with Goodman in the wake of the news that PBS has cancelled "American Experience" because of federal budget cuts. Goodman's recent film "Kissinger" turned out to be his last for American Experience (at least for the foreseeable future.)

From 2017- SC Gwynn, author of "The Perfect Pass: American Genius and the Reinvention of Football."

-We preview a remarkable special airing on Veteran's Day on PBS stations across the country- including channel 10 in Milwaukee. "American Heart in World War One: a Carnegie Hall Tribute" was created, written and narrated by historian John Monsky. This multi-media presentation combines spoken narration, projected images, plus numerous songs from the period offered up by five Broadway performers and The Orchestra of Saint Luke's.

We speak with Ken Belson from the New York Times about his new book "Every Day is Sunday: How Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft, and Roger Goodell Turned the NFL into a Cultural and Economic Juggernaut." After that is a portion of an interview with the author of "Loserville," which tells the story of how Atlanta, GA became the first southern city to be host to teams from MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and the NHL.

We speak with soprano Laura Strickling, who has been twice nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo Album. She and her family now live in Racine- and she will be singing a recital at Carthage College (in Siebert Chapel) next Tuesday evening, November 11th at 7:30. Strickling's second Grammy nomination was for a marvelous and groundbreaking recording project titled 40X40 in which she commissioned 40 different composers to write 40 new art songs; the project was her way of celebrating her 40th birthday while celebrating the vibrant world of contemporary art song.

From 2010 comes a perfect interview for any lover of books. Sean Manning is the editor of "Bound to Last: 30 Writers on their Most Cherished Book." Manning approached 29 of his fellow writers and asked each of them to writer about what they regarded as their most cherished book- not just because of the content of the book but also the physical book itself as an artifact.

We speak with Joyce Gregg, coordinator of the local AAUW's Gigantic Book Sale, which is happening this coming weekend.

We are re-sharing past interviews with acclaimed documentarian Barak Goodman, who has created a number of important films for the PBS series American Experience over the years. From 2004 comes "The Fight," which examined the highly anticipated heavyweight boxing match between American Joe Louis and German Max Schmeling- a match that seemed to attract the attention of the entire world as World War Two was looming on the horizon.

The recent thefts at The Louvre in Paris brought to mind a past Morning Show conversation about Leonardo da Vinci and his most famous painting, the Mona Lisa, which is displayed at the Louvre. Bulent Atalay is the author of "Math and the Mona Lisa: The Art and Science of Leonardo da Vinci." This interview was recorded and initially broadcast in 2014.

Amy Neumann is founder and executive director of Resourceful Non-Profit, which assists other non-profit organizations and agencies in accessing technology (including AI) that can help them enhance their effectiveness. She is going to be the keynote speaker for the upcoming Non-Profit Leadership Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside on November 12th.

Part 1- Best-selling author Tom Clavin talks about his latest book, "Running Deep: Bravery, Survival, and the True Story of the Deadliest Submarine in World War II." The book describes the crucial role played by American submarines in the Pacific Theater during World War Two (especially given the disaster suffered by the U.S. at Pearl Harbor and the way in which our naval forces were so badly compromised.) The book focuses particularly on the U.S.S. Tang, and its commander, Captain Richard Hetheringrton O'Kane- which sank more Japanese vessels and rescued more downed aviators than any other American submarine. Part 2- From 2010, Eric Blehm tells a story of heroism from the War in Afghanistan in his book "The Only Thing Worth Fighting For: How Eleven Green Berets Fought for a New Afghanistan."

We talk with Michael Clickner about the Racine Theater Guild's production of "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors," which runs through November 9th. (He is the director of the production.) We also talk with Clickner about the 50 years that he has been active at the RTG in many different capacities.

We preview the next concert of the Belle City Brassworks with their artistic director, Doug Johnson. "Classical Brass" will occur this Sunday afternoon, November 2nd, at 3:00 - in the Frances Bedford Concert Hall on the campus of UW-Parkside.

In anticipation of the University of Wisconsin Parkside's Non-Profit Leadership Conference on November 12th, we talk with two of the organizers of the event ..... Crista Kruse, Director of Professional and Continuing Education at UW-Parkside, and Len Iaquinta, who has worked extensively in the non-profit sector for more than half a century. Beyond previewing the conference, we also talk about the exceptional challenges facing non-profit organizations and sectors today, some of the most significant principles of successful non-profits operate, and some of the intriguing ways in which the non-profit sector operates very differently from the profit-making world.

We speak with Marcus Watts, executive director of Racine Kenosha Vocational Ministry - and his predecessor, James Schatzman, founder and executive director emeritus. RKVM assists recently incarcerated persons in finding meaningful employment. Theirs is a methodical approach in which they work closely with their clients to help prepare them to flourish in the workplace.

In the wake of the sad news that PBS has had to cancel the documentary series American Experience, we are replaying some past interviews that previewed previous films in the series. From 2005, 20 years ago, is this interview with Barak Goodman in which he talks about his film "Kinsey," which examines the life and legacy of Alfred Kinsey and the sometimes controversial research which he conducted on sexual behavior. The film can be purchased on DVD - is currently available on YouTube - and may be available through the PBS app. {Goodman's most recent American Experience film, "Kissinger," airs Monday and Tuesday evening (Oct. 27 & 28.) My interview with Goodman about "Kissinger" aired Friday, the 24th of October.)

From 2012- Betsy Connor Bowen talks about her father's book "Back from Tobruk" - a memoir of his experiences as a volunteer ambulance driver during World War Two. Croswell Bowen's book was never published during his lifetime.

We speak with award-winning documentarian Barak Goodman about his latest film for the PBS series American Experience. "Kissinger" - a 2-part film airing Monday and Tuesday evening on PBS (including channel 10 in Milwaukee) - examines the life and career of Henry Kissinger, one of the most famous and controversial figures in the last sixty years. By the way, this appears to be the final film to air on the series; due to budget cuts, PBS has been forced to cancel American Experience. (Goodman is continuing to make documentaries that will air elsewhere.) Those of us who have loved this series over the years can only hope that it will return someday.