Monday, May 20, 2019, WGNS Radio
Last night’s program featured Bart Walker of WGNS Radio. WHAT A PROGRAM!!!
We also witnessed a special treat at State Representative Mike Sparks and Smyrna Historian Marty Luffman presented Rutherford County Historian Greg Tucker a State proclamation thanking Greg for his dedication to OUR local history.
The Rutherford County Historical Society held its monthly meeting at 7:00 o’clock Monday (5/20/2019) night and WGNS’ Bart Walker shared the history of Murfreesboro’s first radio station.
Walker noted, “WGNS rang-in the New Year of 1947, a time when there were no TV stations in Middle Tennessee and just a few radio stations in Nashville.”
He noted that Murfreesboro’s population was between 9,000 and 10,000 persons; the first electric clothes dryer went on the market that year; the average cost of a new house was $5,600; a gallon of gas was 15-cents; the average annual income was $2,500; the cost of a new car was $2,500; Murfreesboro’s first planing commission was formed with Jennings A. Jones as chairman; Jim McCord was Tennessee’s governor, and President Harry Truman proclaimed the end of World War II.
The evening also included a presentation of a State Congressional Resolution honoring Rutherford County Historian Greg Tucker. State Representative Mike Sparks and Smyrna business leader Marty Luffman gave the award to Tucker The evening was like a local time machine with the actual voices of the late Mayor Joe B. Jackson, coverage of tornadoes and hearing comments from victims, conversations with John Hood, Jennings Jones, Ray Duffey, Dennis Rainier, Judge Don Ash, Mike Liles, Hollis Harris, Bill Barry and many others from past WGNS radio broadcasts.
Tucker talks local history every Monday morning on WGNS’ Truman Show with former Sheriff Truman Jones. That broadcast is 9:00 to 10:00AM.
In addition to the monthly meetings at the Rutherford County Archives Building, 435 Rice Street, they also encourage the public to join them every Saturday morning from 9:00AM until noon at the old one-room Ransom Schoolhouse, 717 N. Academy Street It is free, and they even have a pot of coffee on for those in attendance.