Who's Who at WONN

John's Co-Workers

Arch Abernethy
Willie Anderson, Sr.
Marji Bedgood
Tim Bedgood
Frank Berry
Mike Booker
Jerry Bright
Charlie Brown
Garland Burt
Ed Cain
Jim Campbell
Brooke Chamberlain
Bert Christopher
Frank Clarke
Bob Crews
Tom Dell
Larry DeVore
Al Dohany
Jack Eilertsen
Howard Ellis
Florida Citrus Mutual Calling
Ron Fraiser
Bill Francisco
Joe Garagiola
Eddie Glover
Murray Goldsborough
Dick Goleno
Rich Halten
Ron Hart
Bob Helmick
Mike Helminski
Cal Hendricks
Don Hiers
Alex Houston
Joe Pyne Show
Bob Jones
Jay Kuppers
Frank Laseter
Ernie Legge
Jim Maloy
Phyllis Maxwell
Bill McClure
Duane McConnell
Yvonne McDaniel
DuLaurence Miller
Pat Morgan
Skip Paradise
Mike Parrish
June Pastore
Buddy Penn
Jonnie Pinkston
Ed Pyle
Jay Rich
Roy Riley
Joyce Robbins
Terry Roberts
Dave Ross
Butch Rush
Dan Sanborn
Gene Schlei
Marge Schmidt
Bob Shoopman
Jerry Smithwick
Smoke House Serenade
Bill Snyder
Dave Sousa
Steve Sparkman
Russ Starner
Jim Stevenson
Vic Swan
Tom Talcott
George Tuttle, Sr
Jacqueline Valentino
Phil Wayne
Alan Wendt
Mark Wheeler
Bob White
Bob Wolfe
Shirley Wolfe
Woody Wooden

John W. Gilman

John was born in Ft. Madison, Iowa and moved to Lake Wales while still in his teens. Following graduation from Lake Wales High School, he attended Marquette University in Milwaukee and Georgia Tech in Atlanta before beginning a radio career in sales at WIPC in Lake Wales where he was named Sales Manager in 1959.  He moved to Lakeland and joined WONN in 1962, was appointed Sales Manager a year later, and became co-owner and vice-president in 1965.

When WONN was sold in 1971 to NBC sports personality Joe Garagiola, John stayed with the station as General Manager and, in 1973, put WPCV-FM on the air in Winter Haven. In 1974 he left the area to manage WMMB-AM & WYRL-FM in Melbourne but returned a few years later to become Advertising Director for all divisions of the Lakeland Ledger before establishing his own real estate firm in 1982.

John passed away in Lake Wales on October 14, 2012 from heart failure at the age of 79.

Station History

1962 - 1974 WONN (Sales)
1965 - 1974 WONN (Management)

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