JANUARY 29– RICHARD LITTLEJOHN
ULTIMATE MAN BEHIND THE GLASS AT WVOX, “VOX POPULI” 1460 FOR DECADES DEPARTS
RICHARD LITTLEJOHN, LEFT, with WVOX/WVIP colleagues Jovan C. Richards
and Don Stevens at one of our St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in New Rochelle.
Godspeed Rich. Thanks for everything. Rest in peace.
BY JOHN MARINO, WESTCHESTER TALK RADIO
Richard Littlejohn was my morning show producer at WVOX-AM in Westchester County a decade ago along with everything else he did overnights for VOX and our sister station, Caribbean-formatted WVIP-FM.
An e arly 80’s graduate of Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, Richard worked a good 60 hours-plus per week to make sure every single show on the station had whatever it needed. I walked in every morning with the biggest stack of news stories and articles to choose from for the show…local, national, international, entertainment, business, culture, opinion pieces, sports…that I could possibly imagine.
You name it, Richard was on top of it and made sure everyone else was on top of whatever they needed to be on top of, too.
He was the absolute, ultimate professional, one of my very favorite people to work with in my almost 50 years in the business.
Richard was the truest of teammates and the definition of what the radio business should always be.
Richard celebrated the birthday of everyone at the station every single year by baking an individual cake for each of us.
We had lots of birthday parties at One Broadcast Forum in New Rochelle! Its been ten years since we last worked together, but every year on my birthday since then, he would drive to the my front door in the Bronx and bring my cake right to me personally.
He never missed!
What a shining example of the wonderful person Richard was to anyone and everyone he crossed paths with, right at the top of my list of kindest human beings I’ve ever known, the epitome of the words “gentleman,” “first-rate” and “class.”
After a well-documented battle with cancer, Richard has now passed away. He was an absolutely wonderful man who touched the lives of just about everyone he came in contact with. His memory is truly a blessing. He will indeed be incredibly missed.
Jovan C. Richards Kathleen Sinacore-Littlejohn Mark Lungx John Harper Bob Marrone Joe Lagano Dennis Dion Nardone TJ McCormack Kevin VanMeter Jim Maisano Haina Just-Michael Tim Idoni Andrew Castellano Jim Feldman Craig Shenkman Freddy Tavares Debbie Schechter lohud News 12 Hudson Valley News 12 Westchester Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber Chris Conway Dan Murphy John Bailey White Plains Citizens To Be Heard White Plains Patch Howard Sturman George Latimer Kenneth Jenkins Richard Thomas Joe Mazzella Jo-Anne Vaccaro Tom Albers Robert Hoatson Joe Vericker Ken Rudolph Bill Savarese Gaby Bordwin Matthew Kayan Brysen Randolph
JANUARY 28–3:32PM EST — WESTCHESTER COUNTY ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF “FRIENDS OF PLAYLAND”
OPENING OF PLAYLAND LAST SPRING (WPCNR ARCHIVES)
THE CAROUSEL
Community-Led Group to Support and Celebrate Historic Amusement Park
(White Plains, NY) – With the spring opening of Playland just a few months away, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins is forming the Friends of Rye Playland, a new nonprofit, community-led organization dedicated to supporting, promoting and preserving one of Westchester’s most treasured landmarks.
The Friends of Rye Playland group will be led by Robin Latimer, who will serve as Chair. The group will work in partnership with Westchester County to enhance public engagement, support special programming and events, encourage philanthropic investment, and help ensure Playland’s long-term vitality for future generations.
Jenkins said: “Rye Playland is more than an amusement park – it is a place we all grew up in and a place filled with memories for generations of Westchester County families. The formation of Friends of Rye Playland creates an exciting opportunity for the community to play a more active role in supporting this historic destination, and reshaping its future.”
Latimer said: “Involving the energy and ideas of residents will help make the present and the future of Playland Park more successful. The community is going to have a role to play in the days to come – and that’s different and exciting news”.
Additional details about Friends of Rye Playland, including opportunities for membership and involvement, will be announced in the coming weeks.
JANUARY 28–11:53 AM EST– THOUSANDS BLOOD DONATIONS LOST DUE TO DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS WEATHER DISRUPTIONS. BLOOD SUPPLY IN METRO AREA WORSE YOUR BLOOD CAN HELP!
NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY –
New York Blood Center (NYBC) and New Jersey Blood Services (NJBS) announced YESTERDAY they are extending their blood emergency appeal for an additional two weeks after a historic winter storm brought blood donation operations across the region to a standstill, wiping out critical progress made in rebuilding the local blood supply.
The storm dropped more than a foot and a half of snow in parts of the region and forced the cancellation of all NYBC and NJBS operations on Sunday.
Weather-related disruptions have continued into this week, resulting in the loss of nearly 2,000 blood donations, a sudden and significant setback at a time when inventories had just begun to recover.
This marks the first time NYBC has been forced to extend an already-declared blood emergency due to a severe weather event.
Earlier this month, NYBC and NJBS declared a blood emergency as supplies reached critically low levels.
While initial donor response helped stabilize inventories, the storm erased that progress almost overnight, creating an urgent and renewed need for blood donations.
“This storm could not have come at a worse time,” said Jeannie Mascolino, Vice President of Blood Operations at New York Blood Center and New Jersey Blood Services.
“We were just starting to rebuild the blood supply when nearly 2,000 lifesaving donations were lost in a matter of days.
Patients don’t get a snow day; surgeries, cancer treatments, traumas, and emergencies continue, and we need donors to help us recover.”
To prioritize donor and staff safety, all NYBC and NJBS donor centers opened midday Monday, January 26, allowing time for roads and parking areas to be cleared and for staff to travel safely. Donors are encouraged to make an appointment and donate if it is safe for them to do so.
PRIORITY BLOOD TYPES NEEDED
NYBC and NJBS are urging all eligible blood donors, especially those with O-, O+, and B- blood types, to give blood or platelets in the coming days to help stabilize the supply. All blood types are urgently needed.
To view current eligibility guidelines or make an appointment, donors can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit nybc.org.
In light of recent updates to FDA guidance, more people than ever may now be eligible to give.Blood donors can give every 56 days, and platelet donors can give twice per month.
To help prevent future shortages, NYBC and NJBS encourage donors to become All Seasons Lifesavers by donating once each season. NYBC and NJBS also offer additional donor loyalty programs that recognize consistent giving throughout the year. Learn more here.