December 1, 2003
Eddie Gallaher
Eddie Gallaher, a popular morning radio host in Washington D.C. for more than half a century, died on Nov. 26 from complications of hip replacement surgery. He was 89.
Gallaher attended the University of Tulsa and served in the Navy during World War II. After returning to the states, he became the voice of the nation's capitol on WTOP-AM in 1947. When WTOP switched to a news/talk format in 1968, Gallaher moved to WASH-FM. Fourteen years later, he was hired by WWDC-AM, where he remained until his retirement in 2000.
With his mellifluous, baritone voice, Gallaher put on a low-key radio show -- the antithesis to the loud, morning jocks now heard on the airwaves. He offered birthday greetings, weather reports, consumer tips, and closed every broadcast with his signature phrase: "It's so nice to know so many nice people." When he wasn't offering play-by-play coverage of the Washington Redskins, he broadcast Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, musicians who performed what he called "unforgettable music."
Gallaher was a founding member of the Washington Quarter-Century Broadcasters. He was also the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement in Radio Award that was sponsored by the March of Dimes.