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75th Anniversary
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Anniversary Posts 1-15
- 1: Monroe Academy: Henrietta’s First Famous School
- 2: First Schools: Uphill, Barefoot, Both Ways
- 3: 1938: Voters Reject Creation of Rush-Henrietta Central School District
- 4: Schoolhouse Records Give Glimpse of Life 100 Years Ago
- 5: 1946: Given Second Chance, Voters Embrace New District
- 6: A Different Time: When Rush Had More Kids Than Henrietta
- 7: Choosing a Mascot: Why We're Not the Royal Falcons
- 8: Meet the Board: Rush-Henrietta’s Original Fab Five
- 9: Late 1940s: The Beginning of a Population Explosion
- 10: Breaking Ground: Rush-Henrietta’s First New School
- 11: 1952: R-H’s First New School a ‘Splendid Dream’
- 12: First Meeting of the New Board of Education
- 13: 1959 R-H Grad Still Gets on the Bus Every Day
- 14: Humble Beginnings: Two School Buses to Start
- 15: 1954: Sudden Need for a Second New School
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Anniversary Posts 16-30
- 16: 1954-1955: Two Votes for a Second School
- 17: The Story of Gillette Elementary School
- 18: 1950s: Building a New School Each Year
- 19: 1957: Residents Press Pause, Reject Two New Schools
- 20: 1958: Fourth New School Helps District Keep Pace
- 21: 1950s: Curious Visitors Flock to New R-H School
- 22: Bill Farrell: ‘Architect of the R-H Sports Program’
- 23: 1961: Rush-Henrietta Gets a Junior High School
- 24: 1963: A New School Called Wedgewood
- 25: Elmer Gordon: A Rush-Henrietta Trailblazer
- 26: Remembering Jack Gaffney
- 27: Jack Gaffney's Incredible Connections to Our R-H Past
- 28: Remembering Wilma Jean Milhouse
- 29: 1964: West Henrietta Gets Its First New School
- 30: 1965: Fyle Elementary Named to Honor Respected Teacher
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Anniversary Posts 31-45
- 31: R-H Family History Revealed in Historic Records
- 32: Dr. John W. Parker: Devoted to District’s Early Success
- 33: 1966: Amidst Housing Boom, R-H Opens Sherman Elementary
- 34: 1968: Rush-Henrietta Opens Its First High School
- 35: Richard TenHaken: Superintendent Who Looked Controversy in the Eye
- 36: 1970: Vollmer Becomes R-H’s Last New School
- 37: The Dome Arena: R-H and Other Legends
- 38: The Lion in the Room - Senior High School Pride
- 39: Artists in Residence
- 40: Providing an Even Start
- 41: Paul McKee: Humility Meets Great Success
- 42: Raymond Delaney Had ‘Unshakeable Belief’ in Public Education
- 43: Roger Eckers Strikes Up the Band
- 44: 1982: R-H Denies West Brighton Request to Secede
- 45: George DesMarteau: One - Make That Two - of a Kind
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Anniversary Posts 46-60
- 46: Recognizing 75 Years of Music Excellence
- 47: Senior High School Mural Depicts 'Community of School'
- 48: 2006: Rush-Henrietta Alumni Council Established
- 49: A Bird's-Eye View of 1951
- 50: 1945: Preparing for the First Day of School
- 51: R-H is Where ‘The Rock’ Calls Home
- 52: 1974: Rush-Henrietta Takes to the Airwaves
- 53: Glory Years of WRHR: A Student’s Perspective
- 54: 1969: R-H a Trailblazer in Embracing Student Voice
- 55: 1975: Rush-Henrietta’s High School Reaches Capacity
- 56: 1975 to 1986: A Decade of Dual High Schools
- 57: 1987: New High School Name Helps Community Heal
- 58: How We Became the Royal Comets
- 59: Extracurricular Highlights
- 60: Spotlight on Bob Sagan, Act I
- 61: Spotlight on Bob Sagan, Act II
- 62: 1991: R-H Hires First New Superintendent in 20 Years
- 63: Werner Kleemann: More Than a Sports Legend
- 64: 2000: R-H Loses ‘Wonderful Mentor’
- 65: 2000: R-H Legend Returns to Stabilize High School
- 66: A Surprise Boost for Student Athletes and Musicians
- 67: Adventures of Ping: Restoring a One-of-a-Kind Painting
- 68: Dr. Ken Graham: Two Decades of Strong Leadership
- 69: R-H’s History of Putting Safety First
- 70: Girls Basketball Team Becomes Stuff of Legends
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Anniversary Posts 1-15
- Did You Know?
- Distinguished Alumni
- First Administrators
- Norm Miller: Portrait of a Rush-Henrietta Life Well Lived
- School Namesakes
- Superintendents
- Who Was Elmer Gordon?
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75th Anniversary
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- District Progress Update
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1974: Rush-Henrietta Takes to the Airwaves
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George Michel’s dream came true when he turned on the radio nearly 50 years ago.
We’re not talking about the late pop icon, George Michael, who entertained us with songs such as “Careless Whisper” and “Faith.” No, we are referring to our own George Michel, the one-time Rush-Henrietta elementary school teacher who later became a driving force behind the creation of the district’s longtime former radio station, WRHR.
Broadcasting live from what is now known as Rush-Henrietta Senior High School, WRHR - shorthand for Rush-Henrietta Radio - first appeared on the airwaves in 1974. Listeners within five miles could tune in to the 10-watt station by setting their dials to 90.5 FM.
According to the October 23, 1974, Henrietta Weekly Journal, “The airing fulfills a dream of Mr. George Michel, the Technical Director of the station. Mr. Michel had proposed a radio station as far back as the early 1960s.” Other adults were involved, as well. Jerry Turner was faculty advisor who helped students learn more about different aspects of radio, including broadcasting and programming. In addition, Stanley Katz, who was the district’s multimedia center director, supervised the operation of the station.
Aspiring radio stars had the support of at least one local media outlet. Michael Morgan, news director at 1180 WHAM radio, shared this message at the time of WRHR’s debut: “We here at WHAM are most concerned about developing broadcasting skills among young people, in the interest of the future of our industry. Therefore, we are happy to grant permission for WRHR to record and rebroadcast newscasts from the American Information Radio Service of ABC.”
In 1985, WRHR was acquired by Monroe One BOCES. Two years later, it was renamed WBER, a nod to the idea of BOCES Educational Radio. At that time, the station expanded to 2,500 watts. Michael Burns, a teacher who helped to oversee the station, told the Rochester Times Union the on-air experience was open to all. In that February 28, 1985, story, he explained: “We have students who are almost professional all the way down to a student who has a reading disability and is doing the best he can.” The goal was for all students involved to gain confidence.
The audio found by clicking here is courtesy of 1980 R-H grad, Bill Darron. It is a recording of a live WRHR broadcast featuring the 1980 Section V Champion Rush-Henrietta Roth Royals vs. the Section IV Champion Binghamton North Indians. Timothy Griffin and Richard Griswold were on the call.
While WRHR no longer broadcasts from Rush-Henrietta, its legacy remains strong. In an upcoming post, we will hear directly from Darron, who worked at the station during high school and has shared memories from that formative time of life. We are grateful to Bill for providing the photo that accompanies today’s post.
[Post 52] #75Posts75YearsClick the "i" in the upper left corner of the photo below for more information.
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