Randy Stover, SBE 66 Frequency Coordinator and contract engineer for many V
alley radio stations passed away on December 27, 2012.
A memorial service was held at Fresno Memorial Gardens on January 17, 2013. Randy was 71.
The following presentation was spoken at the memorial service by Alex Vavoulis.
Early in 1972, the idea to establish a radio station under the legal ownership of the Fresno Free College Foundation (FFCF) came from Dr. Everett Frost. Because he was producing radio dramas for Pacifica Radio, he suggested bringing the Pacifica Radio signal to the Central Valley. Alex Vavoulis, then President of the FFCF, learned that Rand L. Stover, a radio engineer, was interested in the same idea. The idea received the approval of the FFCF Board, and this began a relationship between Stover and Vavoulis that lasted from 1972 until Stover’s passing.
On hearing of Stover’s passing, Frost, now living in England, said: Thanks to Randy’s help the history of the Valley is better that it would have been without it. It is confirmation of the FFCF conviction that, yes, one person can make a difference; and working together will make a bigger difference.
With Stover’s engineering skills FFCF was able to establish the listener-sponsored radio station, KFCF-88FM, with its first broadcast on June 9, 1975. As a volunteer radio engineer for the FFCF, Stover offered his house garage to be the first KFCF studio for broadcasting. He also provided his labor free to commercial radio stations in exchange for the rent costs for the housing of the KFCF transmitter. Randy also proved to be a master at recording many musical programs that the Fresno Free College Foundation presented to the Fresno community; these included Keyboard Concerts, Orpheus concerts, Masters Classes in Piano by Ena Bronstein, and many individual concerts. These recordings were then broadcast on KFCF.
In the many years he was doing these services for the FFCF, including being one of its Board members for several years, he was the personification of humbleness. According to Confucius, humility is the solid foundation of all virtues. And the mathematician and philosopher Pascal reminds us , if you want people to think well of you, don’t speak well of yourself, In many ways Randy was also a positive influence to some aspiring radio engineers and other young people fascinated with radio and its technical possibilities. In a real sense, Randy was a visionary for radio and Frost’s assessment, that Randy made a difference, is correct and the cultural, artistic, and intellectual life of our community benefited by Randy’s presence.
Alex Vavoulis is Professor Emeritus in Chemistry at CSUF, a Past President of the FresnoFree College Foundation, and Honorary Advisory Board Member for The Sword of Zeus Project.
Randy’s ashes were interred
in his Atwater Kent 944 Cathedral Radio
which he had in his home for many years
