Ever since Luther Masingill first went on the local airwaves in the 1940s on then-new radio station WDEF, soon after his time as a student at Central High School, “Luther” has been an important, constructive and much-loved part of Chattanooga.
So it was quite appropriate that the Tennessee General Assembly this week honored “Luther, a legend in his own time” — for nearly seven decades in radio and 56 years of TV broadcasting in Chattanooga. The legislators named a section of South Broad Street — including the 3300 block where Luther holds forth on WDEF — “Luther Masingill Parkway.”
No one can count how many lost dogs Luther has helped return to distressed owners, or how many public service community announcements he has presented — whether the snow he warned about fell or not.
He is always warm, friendly and positive, and plays good records.
Luther is everybody’s friend. That is admirable, and is good for us all, isn’t it?