K5 Radio John Chappell Tribute
By Wes Page
On June 20, 2020 I lost my best friend and the Modesto Radio Museum lost its president, John Chappell. He was quite a guy. He was a teacher, a mentor and most of all, he was a friend to everyone.
He was a radio DJ in the 60’s and 70’s at various local stations including Modesto’s only rock & roll station, KFIV where he became Program Director.
He later became Director of Operations of Media Services at Modesto Junior College. But his passion for radio remained. Back in 2004 John and I became charter members of the Modesto Radio Museum board that was started by the late Cal Purviance, a beloved local radio broadcaster. Our goal has always been to have a “brick and Mortar” museum where we could display equipment that we have in storage and let visitors relive the excitement of the golden age of radio. Presently our museum is strictly online; modestoradiomuseum.org<modestoradiomuseum.org>
Recently John and I were given a tour of the proposed Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum building by Chris Murphy. We became excited about the possibility of having our small radio museum within the walls of the larger Graffiti USA museum. To that end, John conducted his first Zoom meeting of our museum board just 2 days before his passing where we discussed fundraising options. We hope to make John’s vision come true. We elected former K5 jock, Radio Rick Myers as our new president. Our dream lives on. There will be a Celebration of Life for John once we are able to safely meet in large groups. Stay tuned.
If you wish to make a donation to the non-profit 501 (c) (3) Modesto Radio Museum in John’s memory, you may send your check to: Modesto Radio Museum P.O.Box 580452 Modesto, CA 95358.Wes
