R.I.P.: Tom Kinard, Former SC Morning host

Former South Carolina radio personality James Thomas “Tom” Kinard died Saturday morning.

Tom Kinard

He was 71-years-of-age and retired in 2012 ending a career that last nearly 50 years.

He is probably best remembered in the Pee Dee for his local radio show “Kinard N Koffee” on WJMX 1400 AM  in Darlington, SC.

“He was the ‘Voice of Florence’ for many years,” said Dan E. Lockemy, a friend and former colleague. “He had such a welcoming and soothing voice.”

“I’ll never forget his laugh and voice,” said Cecil Chandler, who worked in radio with Kinard during the ’60s. “You could always recognize his voice. He had a great voice and personality.”

“Tom and I worked together for about three years before he went to (WAYS 610 AM Charlotte) ‘Big Ways’ and I went to WCOS (Columbia, SC),” he said.

“It was a shock,” Lockemy said, to hear of Kinard’s death. “It is a shock when someone of his stature passes away. You never get over it.”

Lockemy said they became friends when he joined Kinard at WJMX on the radio in 1990. He said at that time Kinard had the hit morning show on the AM side called “Kinard N Koffee.”

“He was a wonderful guy,” Lockemy said. “He was very personable. He was the ultimate radio announcer.”

An obituary for Kinard says he interviewed “countless people from presidents and actors to musicians and authors. His heart, though, was always with interviewing local people about events relevant to the Pee Dee.”

“He did a lot of public-service events,” Chandler said. Kinard was a big supporter of community events and always got them on the radio.

Kinard received numerous awards during his lifetime, including the national Marconi Award for Broadcasting.