R.I.P.: Longtime Broadcaster Richard Marcotte Was 72

Richard Marcotte-Early '60s

The voice of Richard Marcotte, a Kankakee native, was silenced last week. He died in Chicago on Aug. 6.

He was 72-years-of-age, according to the Daily Journal.

Marcotte, got his start in the studios of WKAN, the local AM station.  In the Quad Cities area, he will be remembered as the inspiration for the St. Ambrose University station, now known as KALA. His son recalled the stories of how his father gathered donated equipment from other local radio stations to put together an outlet for students who wanted to play the emerging rock 'n' roll of 1962.

Richard also worked in television, away from news and contemporary music.

Richard served in the style you might expect during a stint with the Army: He worked with the Armed Forces Radio Network. He was stationed in Panama when he created a show for his character "Grandpa McCorn." It became a television show aimed at entertaining troops and their families in the Canal Zone.

Following his discharge, he worked in TV news reporting and doing anchor work at KROC in Rochester, Minn., and WDAU in Scranton, Pa. Marcotte then moved back to the Chicago area and established the news department for WFBN-TV.

Marcotte also did voice-over work and became the voice of tennis in Chicago. He handled the public address duties at Avon Championships, Volvo Tennis and Nuveen Championships for 25 years. He came to know the old guard of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors but also introduced the Midwest to "newcomers" such as Martina Navratilova, as well as the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena.