Letters to the Editor: Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024

When our mother, Hazel Dyer, found her life a bit empty after the excitement and stress of raising and caring for two sons who had graduated from college and moved on, she decided returning to work would fill a void. Her daughter was still at home in High School but independent and self-sufficient. From a friend, she heard about a secretarial job with the Phil Donahue show that was then emerging and gaining an audience. Not having worked since the birth of her first son in the late thirties, she was apprehensive about being regularly employed but being out going, talkative and engaging she assumed that might carry the day. Well, she passed the typing test after practicing all night on an electric typewriter which was required since years earlier she had last touched keys on a manual one. The job became hers and she worked with Phil continuously until he left Dayton for Chicago. I don’t think anyone could have admired Phil more than my mother. Almost every time I spoke with her she shared anecdotes about how compassionate and thoughtful he was and the respect with which he treated her as a boss and friend.  The occasional emptiness she felt being an almost “empty nester” never resurfaced.  Although not knowing Phil, how could I not share her admiration knowing the joy he brought to her life. As my mother’s time on the show grew she became responsibility for “warming up” the audience and often picking up guests (Dolly Parton was her favorite)from the airport. Even after the show left Dayton, Phil’s thoughtfulness and caring remained.  When our father passed away Phil arranged for the wake to be catered and he spent the afternoon consoling my mother at our home in Dayton. And this kindness and sensitivity  was not a surprise.  We learned from our mother that this gesture was what she came to expect from her compassionate friend. Of course, that was not all.  Phil was known to take his staff on all expenses paid trips as a gesture of thanks for their contribution to his success which he recognized was not possible without them. Even though for years my mother had not worked for Phil he still appreciated her as a friend and a valued contributor to his show. So I was not surprised to learn that on two separate occasions she was invited on staff trips. One being a Mediterranean cruise and another an around the world trip. Consider the thrill for someone who would be leaving the United Stated for the first time. I could fill pages with endless compliments that demonstrate the character and values Phil embraced and the joy he brought to my mother’s life but imagine that my mother is just an example of the countless stories that will be or have been told about the exemplary life Phil lived and shared.

- William V. Dyer, Ashville, NC