Teen Hop documentary and a story about long time hosts Gerry Henson and Jim Lobbey, plus Ranger Ed

The first time I ever entered the studio at KODE was about 1964 and the person responsible for that was the long-time host of Teen Hop Gerry Henson.

I told that story in this chapter from Newton County Memories:

I can't recall the name of the show, but Ozarks Public Television recently had a program which recalled The Children's Hour, not the adult Lillian Hellman play, but the children's program which ruled southwest Missouri for three decades on KYTV in Springfield.

Aunt Norma Champion, who spent 13 years as the program's host (and who is now a state senator) was interviewed, as was the man who voiced the programs two puppets, Skinny and Rusty.

That brought back plenty of memories, especially of the daily squawking of Rusty (a chicken) to "blow out the candles" when it was time to wish happy birthday to Springfield-area youngsters.









The early 1960s, when I was in the single digits age wise was the time when every local television station had a children's program, with a host, perhaps some puppets, and definitely cartoons.

On KOAM-TV, Channel 7, in Pittsburg, Kan., it was The Fun Club with host Roger Neer and his cohort Slim Andrews, the 49er, who somehow came to Pittsburg from Hollywood where he had appeared in several Westerns in the '40s. I know others were hosts of the show besides Neer,

At the time, my dad, Bill Turner, was working for Neosho Nurseries and was doing some landscaping work at KODE, along with my mom's brother, Bob Clark. I wasn't much help to the two of them, so I was pretty much wandering about outside and I even managed to wander away from Dad and slip into the station. 

One of the first people I ran into was Jim Lobbey, later the Jasper County Clerk, but at that time an on-air personality at KODE. The only thing I could think of was to say was "You're Jim Lobbey."

Apparently, he already knew that, and walked right past me without saying anything. I was somewhat disillusioned by my first meeting with a star, but I plowed on ahead.

I did not run into any more celebrities so I returned to the Neosho Nurseries truck and was reading when I spotted my hero, Ranger Ed (Ed Wilson) walking out of the station. 









I was surprised to see him without his cowboy hat and outfit, but I couldn't wait to see him hop on his horse and ride away from the station.

Imagine my surprise (and further disillusionment) when he climbed into a little red sports car and sped away from the station.

By this time, I was fed up with all of the fakes in the world of television so I remained in the truck waiting for Dad and my Uncle Bob to finish.

A few moments later, I looked up from my book and staring at me and smiling through the window was a man I recognized immediately. I didn't have a chance to say anything before he introduced himself. "I'm Gerry Henson," he said. "Would you like to take a look at the station?" 

(The program that Gerry Henson, Jim Lobbey and the people at KODE brought to life from 1958 to 1975 was recently named to the Regional Media Hall of Fame and the accompanying video is KGCS's documentary on Teen Hop.)

I did and I followed him back in for a brief, but memorable look at what at the time seemed quite glamorous. Gerry Henson, the host of the popular Teen Hop program at the time, talked to me almost as if I was an equal and answered every question I asked (and I had a lot of them).

I don't remember much about Ranger Ed or The Fun Club, or even The Children's Hour, but I do remember that trip to KODE and Gerry Henson. That was the day I learned that the magic of television had nothing to do with cheap, interchangeable programs, but with those TV personalities who remembered the eight-year-olds who watched them from afar.

Extra story

Though my first meeting with Jim Lobbey did not go well, I had a chance to reconnect with him late in his life when he was serving as Jasper County Clerk.

Jim was kind enough to speak to my students at Diamond Middle School and did a wonderful job. I never mentioned to him my memories of that day four decades earlier.

(The photo is from the collection of Gerry Henson's son, Craig Henson.)

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Newton County Memories is available locally at Always Buying Books, Changing Hands Book Shoppe and The Book Guy in Joplin, Pat's Books in Carthage, and Granby Auto Supply and Hardware in Granby and in paperback and e-book formats from Amazon.com