Aug 12, 2026, 12:11 PM CT
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It was back to school time in August of 1981, and I was heading into my Senior year. Football practice was underway and I was the teams big strapping center throwing lookout blocks (look out quarterback!). We went through 3 starting quarterbacks that year although phy-ed class took out one of them, so it wasn’t all my fault. Dad was working hard trying to get every sprig of hay mowed and baled before I went back to the hallowed halls of Ithaca High School. After a long day of throwing bales, I appealed to head football coach Dan Rice asking for a little less conditioning because the farm kids had already had a long day. After he decided to give us even more conditioning because of my whining, my popularity as a teammate took a big hit. While cruising in my 1975 Ford Maverick, my girlfriend (yes I actually had one) and me liked to jam to the music on brand new albums. Billy Squier and the Greg Kihn Band were our favorites. Even though I was 17 going on 18, I still felt the lyrics “they don’t write ’em like that anymore” were very true. It is amazing that I actually thought I felt old and some of the best music had already been produced. While my mother was still hoping that I would get the call from God and become a priest, sadly for her I got the call from the likes of Wolfman Jack, Larry Lujack, and Clyde ‘Kickapoo’ Coffee. The dream of working in radio had been with me since I was very young. A visit to Wausau Wisconsin’s Trans American School of Broadcasting in the fall of 1981 sealed the deal.
This week during my Those Were the Days radio show, I will be spinning some of the best music from the summer of 1981. Favorites from that era include Urgent-Foreigner, Bette Davis Eyes-Kim Carnes, Fire and Ice-Pat Benatar, Hold on Tight-ELO, Jessie’s Girl-Rick Springfield, Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through-Jim Steinman, You Make My Dreams-Hall & Oates, and Don’t Let Him Go-REO Speedwagon. This is the featured year by request of the Kickapoo High School class of ’81 as they will be getting together Saturday and listening to WRCO, WRCO.com, or the Civic Media app. It could get wild! They might be able to stay up until at least 8:30 pm. Listen for the magic cowbell alerts when it will be trivia time and call or text a favorite song title or memory during this Saturday night’s Those Were the Days.
Philip
Adam Hess has been involved in radio broadcasting since 1990, with many of those years spent on the air at WRCO FM in Richland Center. Currently, Adam hosts the Weekend Wake-up and Prime Mover Saturdays on WRCO FM, jumps in and helps out with news duties, handles Social Media duties for WRCO and WRCE, and is the Director of Technology at a Southwest Wisconsin School District. Reach him at adam.hess@civicmedia.us.
