ACC Bob Kingsley's Legacy To Live On

Weatherford College President accepts the donation of the Nan and Bob Kingsley Building

The late Bob Kingsley spent his life bringing some of the best music to folks through his weekly “American Country Countdown” and “Country Top 40” broadcasts from his studios in Weatherford, TX. Although the legendary broadcaster died in October 2019, his legacy will live on through Weatherford College, reports The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The Nan and Bob Kingsley Building, which housed his state-of-the-art studios and sat adjacent to the college, has been donated by Bob’s widow, Nan, and the Kingsley Estate to the school and will be the future home of a new audio engineering program and mass communications classes. 

“The generous gift of the Nan and Bob Kingsley Building will build on Bob’s legacy of broadcast excellence. Generations of students will aspire to follow in his footsteps and will undoubtedly forge lasting professional relationships in the industry,” Weatherford College President Tod Allen Farmer.

Both programs are expected to begin in the fall, Vice President of Institutional Advancement Brent Baker said. He noted that Frederick Sanders and Duane Durrett, leaders in the fine arts department, are working to outfit the engineering studio with new equipment to offer a lab experience for students. 

Bob Kingsley

Baker said local automotive dealer Charlie Gilchrist made a donation of $100,000 to outfit the mass communication studio. “We are working now to have all new broadcast equipment in the studio where Bob and his engineers recorded,” Baker said. Mike Endy, Vice President of Instruction and Student Services, said students and faculty are currently being recruited for the mass communication classes. 

He added that the connection to the Kingsley Building will be greatest in the lab and practicum classes. “Our students will learn and work in a facility that has its own rich legacy. Some of the world’s top recording artists visited Bob and played in those studios,” Endy said. “And, of course, Mr. Kingsley recorded one of the most popular radio programs in the world in his studio. “The Bluestem Studios were the nerve center of the Kingsley's work. 

Among the many artists who recorded in the studios with Bob Kingsley are a virtual who’s who in the country music industry, including Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Blake Shelton, Toby Keith, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley and many more. 

The building is approximately 10,000 square feet. In addition to mass communication and audio engineering, the building houses the president’s office, the Weatherford College Foundation, alumni relations and other institutional advancement functions, plus a conference room in Bob Kingsley’s former office. Also, in honor of Bob’s love of country music and the format’s songwriters, WC is partnering with Nashville Songwriters Association International and The Bluebird Cafe to digitize the entire 40-year audio history of the famed performance venue. 

“This would make Bob so proud. The only thing he loved more than horses was radio,” Nan said. Nan said Bob always dreamed of being a cowboy and loved the cutting horse industry, so they moved from Los Angeles to Weatherford in 1995 and opened the Bluestem Ranch. 

Baker, a longtime radio announcer himself, knew Bob Kingsley personally. He has fond memories of the man he called a radio legend. “Not only did he have ‘the voice of God,’ he had contacts all over the industry. He was one of the most important figures in the history of country radio, and we were blessed to have him in Weatherford,” Baker said.