Darrell Daniels, one of the local greats has passed

[CoolBreeze]

I remember hearing Darrell when I was a teenager. He helped me get my last radio job and was an all around great guy with those classic pipes that all good announcers had back in the day....



Darrell F. Hudnall, also known as Darrell Daniels, 69, of Charleston passed away early Sunday morning, June 28, 2009 at Hubbard Hospice House, Charleston.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Alfred Frank and Louise Ferrell Hudnall of Rand.

Darrell was known as Darrell Daniels, news director and broadcaster for Bristol Broadcasting and it's five local radio stations, including WQBE, FM/AM and NewsTalk 950 AM.

He attended Morris Harvey College, now the University of Charleston, and West Virginia State College, now West Virginia State University, and graduated from the National Academy of Broadcasting, Washington, D.C., with a degree in media communications.

He was formerly employed by the West Virginia Attorney General's office and West Virginia State Treasurer's office as media and public information specialist. Prior to employment with state government, he served as Charleston bureau chief at WSAZ-TV, Charleston, news director at WROV, Roanoke, Va., news anchor and reporter at WAKR AM & TV, Akron, Ohio, and WSAV AM-TV, Savannah, Ga.

In his early years of news broadcasting, Darrell was employed as news director for WCHS Radio, Charleston, and WFVA AM, Fredericksburg, Va. He received awards from the National Headliners Club, Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI). He was a former president and member of the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association and former member of Blue Ridge Chapter, Sigma Delta Chi Professional Journalism Society.

In his youth, Darrell was drummer in several bands and recorded an album with the Dixie Jazz Kings.

Darrell was a member of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Charleston, for more than 20 years.

He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Kathy; their daughter and son-in-law, Amy and Rutmann Desauguste; his son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Alice Hudnall; grandson, Maxwell Hudnall; his sister, Sarita Greene and her husband, Richard; nephew, Michael Greene; and brother, Harold Hudnall and his wife, Betty Jo, and their 5 children.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, July 3, at St. Timothy Lutheran Church, 900 Lawndale Lane, Charleston, with the Rev. Richard Mahan officiating. Internment will follow immediately after the service at the church.

Family and friends will be received in the Fellowship Hall following the inurnment.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Timothy Lutheran Church, 900 Lawndale Lane, Charleston, WV 24314, and/or Hubbard Hospice House, 1606 Kanawha Blvd. W., Charleston, WV 25311.

Condolences may be sent to the family at http://www.barlowbonsall.com.

Barlow-Bonsall Funeral Home, Charleston, has been entrusted with the arrangements.

[Clay JD Walker]

CB,

Thanks for passing along that info...it's truly sad that yet another great is gone, but it's certainly a sigh of relief that he is finally at peace. Darrell was one of those guys that was as old school as it got, and was proud of it, still splicing tape on his reel-to-reel machine. It amazed me when I first met him while in college, that such a deep voice could come out of such a small-stature. And sharing multiple smoke breaks on the back patio at Bristol allowed me the opportunity to hear so many amazing tales of stories that he covered, people he had interviewed, and the things he's seen during his career. To me, Darrell Daniels is the Earl Ward of radio. He certainly will be missed.

[Schaffer]

That is really sad. As Clay said, a smoke break with Darrell was some of the best story time a guy could ever ask for. He used to tell me stories that I would have called bullshit on if it were anybody else telling them. I was up on the hill for a visit a few months ago, and had a couple smokes with Darrell on the back porch. When did his health decline? This really sucks, and Jerry is right, we lost a real LOCAL GREAT. I really looked up to Darrell, R.I.P. my friend.

[DJSHOCKLEY]

It was wonderful to see so many of the original 95 WKAZ guys such as "Super Duper" Charlie Cooper and Al Sahley at Darrels funeral. Immediately after the ceremony we all gathered in the catering room where refreshments were served and the KAZ guys like Cooper told us what it was like working with Darrel back in the day.

On many occasions when I was in the Z Rock studio with my mic hot I could see through the window on our studio door that Darrel was walking down the hallway, and sometimes I would cut my breaks short because I knew that it was smoke break time for the "Voice of God." Time to chat with the man..

I used to badger him to tell me stories about what it was like to work in the Charleston market in the late 60's and early 70's.
There were many amazing things about him that some of us that worked with him were not aware of until the funeral. Working for Arch Moore, playing drums in a band, being taken hostage by a crazed war vet that demanded that he get to tell his story over the airwaves or a church congregation would die... Just to name a few..

Current 950 WVTS/FOX 1240 Jock Larry McKay is planning on doing a special edition of Newsmaker in which he is inviting many of Darrels former co workers to reminisce about Darrel..

Check with the station for more info on that..

So long Darrel.. You will be terribly missed..

Larry Shockley

[Kiddconley]

The world was a better place because Darrell was in it. What a great guy. Someone at Bristol please pass on my condolences to his family.

Kidd