'A huge heart': Longtime Austin radio personality David Anderson has died at age 73

David Anderson, a longtime Austin radio personality who specialized in news and sports, died of cancer Tuesday at Gracy Woods Nursing Center. He was 73.

Besides appearing on radio and television for more than 40 years, Anderson served frequently as an emcee at parades, banquets and charity events.

"He was so much of a great humanitarian," said Michele Golden, who met Anderson while she was interning at KOKE FM. They remained friends for 40 years. "He helped people with their careers, jobs and any way he could in life over the years. He donated his time to so many organizations. He had such a huge heart and will be greatly missed by so many people."

Radio man out of East Texas

Born Jan. 15, 1951, Anderson was the son of Thelma Kathryne Bills and Joe Milton Anderson. Both parents had served in the military. He was born and grew up in the East Texas lumber-industry town of Lufkin. According to his LinkedIn biography, he graduated in 1973 with a degree in radio, television and film from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.

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Anderson was recruited to deliver the morning news on air in Austin during the late 1970s. Bob Cole, owner and morning host of the revived KOKE FM, said hiring Anderson for that role was one of his proudest moments.

"I loved his tape. He applied for the job but wasn't really sure about it," Cole said. "He had asked a woman to marry him. She said yes, then turned him down. He called me back and said: 'I'm ready to come.'"

Over the years, Anderson worked at station after station as they changed ownerships, formats and personality lineups. One of his last jobs was at Sun Radio.

"He was the kind of person who just didn't give up," said David Jarrott, theater producer and longtime radioman. "He loved radio so much. He couldn't let go. He just wanted to be a part of it."

The KEY 103 'Morning Show'

One of the high points of Anderson's career was KEY 103's "Morning Show," which he hosted with Jarrott and Cathy Conley Swofford from 1983 to 1991.

"He was an extremely talented writer and a naturally funny guy," Swofford said. "David Anderson was the tallest member of the team, but never short on talent, wit and humility. He loved to volunteer for Austin nonprofits. He was especially fond of chili cook-offs, beauty pageants and Austin's annual Spamarama."

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Jarrott, who now runs the theatrical company Jarrott Productions, remembered a rare coming together of talents.

"In radio, you don't get to choose your sidekicks," Jarrott said. "They are chosen for you. But David, Cathy and I developed into a very tight family and endured through three different ownerships. People came and went, but the three of us were the core. We had a wonderful chemistry."

From radio to the rest of the world

As Anderson thrived, he accumulated stories. He was the subject of the 2013 documentary "40 Years: On the Air," directed by Diesel Garcia.

Although eventually he joined opinion shows on talk radio, Anderson maintained a degree of journalistic distance. Still, he cherished working alongside other on-air talent, such as Cole and Sammy Allred on the hit program "Sam and Bob in the Morning" on KVET 98.1FM.

"He loved people and people loved him," Cole said. "He was a newsman. He could take news stories and make them entertaining. He made you feel great, whether you knew him or just met him. David made everybody's day. He did that just by delivering morning news. He also kind of became a cohost."

Don Pryor, whose entertainment family's history includes Skinny, Cactus, Paul, Wally and Kerry Pryor and who recently retired from his regular radio gig, said Anderson was one of the sweetest guys he had ever met.

"I don't think there was a single person who was a listener of his, or knew him personally, that didn't like David," Pryor said. "I always loved his relaxed style on the air. He was just so relatable, with an amazingly, almost intimidatingly quick wit. David, as it turned out, was a big daily listener of our show — 'The Todd & Don Show' — and would occasionally message me a 'good job,' 'keep up the good work,' or 'love the show,' and it always meant so much to me coming from the great David Anderson."

Brent Allen, longtime friend, caretaker and legal guardian, shared memories of a more domestic variety: "The funniest part about David — he'd take his shirts, turn them inside out, then wear them again, so he wouldn't have to launder them. He loved dogs! He always brought dog treats for my dog. Every time David showed up, I was invisible."

Private and public memorial services are being planned for Anderson.

"David was one of the best talents in the industry," Cole said. "Always the guy you wanted to have a beer with, the guy that didn't have an agenda, somebody you could trust. In all my years, I never saw anybody who had that ability and talent. How many people on radio can you say that about today?"

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Longtime Austin radioman David Anderson has died of cancer at age 73