Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Bill Mayhugh, longtime D.C. radio host who raised millions for charity, dies at 91
Hat tip, the DCRTV.com Mailbox.
Obituaries
Bill Mayhugh, longtime D.C. radio host who raised millions for charity, dies at 91
By Matt Schudel
Obituary writer
October 20
Bill Mayhugh, a longtime Washington-area radio host who had an overnight jazz and easy-listening program for almost 30 years, helped raise millions of dollars for charity and was a founder of the Marine Corps Marathon, died Oct. 12 at an assisted-living facility in Olney, Md. He died on his 91st birthday. ... He had complications from a broken hip, said a son, Jack Mayhugh.
Mr. Mayhugh was a native Washingtonian who began his career as a jazz drummer when he was 16. He turned to broadcasting in 1949, reading the morning news on WFAX-AM in Fairfax County, Va., and soon gave up performing music in favor of talking about it. ... Early in his career, he was the host of a morning show and a children’s show, and he had a brief turn as a television announcer in the early 1950s before finding his niche as a DJ and interviewer, where he brought a musician’s insight to the airwaves. He first joined WMAL-AM in 1953 as the host of “Mayhugh’s Moods” from 10 to 11 p.m.
....
Beginning in the 1950s, he was a frequent emcee at charity events, including golf tournaments and other benefits. For more than 20 years, he hosted an annual 25-hour radio marathon to raise money for leukemia research. He was credited with raising more than $15 million for that causealone. ... Mr. Mayhugh, who was a lifelong runner, often ended his broadcasts with the exhortation to “run a mile a day, if it’s okay with your doctor.” Along with three other people, he founded the Marine Corps Marathon, which had its inaugural race in 1976. He served as the event’s official announcer for 25 years.
....
In 1984, Mr. Mayhugh and his wife gained some unwanted renown after receiving two telephone bills at their home in Annandale, Va., for more than $200,000. The second bill, totaling $194,656.79, was 2,199 pages long and weighed eight pounds. ... Months earlier, while the Mayhughs were in New York, someone distracted Shirley Mayhugh at Pennsylvania Station and stole her purse, which contained a telephone credit card. The Mayhughs canceled the card immediately, but they were still charged for thousands of calls to 47 countries. ... It was the largest case of individual telephone fraud reported in the country up to that time, and the story was picked up by The Post and People magazine. ... “We had a case of human error,” a spokesman for the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. tried to explain. ... Eventually, the bill was canceled, but not before it brought Mr. Mayhugh “more attention than I’ve had in 35 years of radio broadcasting.”
Matt Schudel has been an obituary writer at The Washington Post since 2004. He previously worked for publications in Washington, New York, North Carolina and Florida. Follow https://twitter.com/MattSchudel
Bill Mayhugh, longtime D.C. radio host who raised millions for charity, dies at 91
By Matt Schudel
Obituary writer
October 20
Bill Mayhugh, a longtime Washington-area radio host who had an overnight jazz and easy-listening program for almost 30 years, helped raise millions of dollars for charity and was a founder of the Marine Corps Marathon, died Oct. 12 at an assisted-living facility in Olney, Md. He died on his 91st birthday. ... He had complications from a broken hip, said a son, Jack Mayhugh.
Mr. Mayhugh was a native Washingtonian who began his career as a jazz drummer when he was 16. He turned to broadcasting in 1949, reading the morning news on WFAX-AM in Fairfax County, Va., and soon gave up performing music in favor of talking about it. ... Early in his career, he was the host of a morning show and a children’s show, and he had a brief turn as a television announcer in the early 1950s before finding his niche as a DJ and interviewer, where he brought a musician’s insight to the airwaves. He first joined WMAL-AM in 1953 as the host of “Mayhugh’s Moods” from 10 to 11 p.m.
....
Beginning in the 1950s, he was a frequent emcee at charity events, including golf tournaments and other benefits. For more than 20 years, he hosted an annual 25-hour radio marathon to raise money for leukemia research. He was credited with raising more than $15 million for that causealone. ... Mr. Mayhugh, who was a lifelong runner, often ended his broadcasts with the exhortation to “run a mile a day, if it’s okay with your doctor.” Along with three other people, he founded the Marine Corps Marathon, which had its inaugural race in 1976. He served as the event’s official announcer for 25 years.
....
In 1984, Mr. Mayhugh and his wife gained some unwanted renown after receiving two telephone bills at their home in Annandale, Va., for more than $200,000. The second bill, totaling $194,656.79, was 2,199 pages long and weighed eight pounds. ... Months earlier, while the Mayhughs were in New York, someone distracted Shirley Mayhugh at Pennsylvania Station and stole her purse, which contained a telephone credit card. The Mayhughs canceled the card immediately, but they were still charged for thousands of calls to 47 countries. ... It was the largest case of individual telephone fraud reported in the country up to that time, and the story was picked up by The Post and People magazine. ... “We had a case of human error,” a spokesman for the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. tried to explain. ... Eventually, the bill was canceled, but not before it brought Mr. Mayhugh “more attention than I’ve had in 35 years of radio broadcasting.”
Matt Schudel has been an obituary writer at The Washington Post since 2004. He previously worked for publications in Washington, New York, North Carolina and Florida. Follow https://twitter.com/MattSchudel