[Magdalen] RIP Acker Bilk.

[Jim Guthrie]

For a time when I was first in grad school, I had a love interest in one of 
those hoity-toity Episcopal Boys Schools (he was repeating his Senior Year) 
schools north of Boston, and would drive up Fridays afternoon and return Sunday 
evening to see him.

In any case, driving home late Sunday I'd  be listening to WABC-770, which was 
mainly ABC Network Public Affairs shows-- "Update" "Your Word this Week" 
Perspective, and Speaking of Everything with Howard Cosell (a really fine 
program for the Cosell-Haters out there and you know who you are) that featured 
both obscure and well-known authors, and Cosell having really interesting 
conversations. But about 2:00 AM, the station would sign off for Maintenance 
until 5:00 AM, and the engineers in the transmitter building (in Lodi NJ) had 
one record, it seemed -- Acker Bilk's Stranger on the Shore.

So after cycling the transmitter off and on, and then the auxiliary transmitter 
off and on, they'd throw on Stranger on the Chore -- over and over again, 
interspersed with dozens of WABC Jingles.

It was kind of fun to hear, in a weird way. I'd usually get to State College 
around 3:30 AM.

But Acker Bilk -- in the middle of the night -- was my driving companion.

Cheers,
Jim