The late Miss Edith Bennett. She died on April 12, 2013. Edith Bennett Passes Away--WOMI
Edith L. Bennett--Beech Tree News
Edith Bennett Dies--Jakes DTV Blog
Edith L. Bennett--Bowling Green Daily News
Whenever I think of the Christmas season one person that comes to mind is none other than Edith L. Bennett. Anyone that has ever listened to her Sunday morning programs or Christmas Eve/Day programs knows that Ms. Edith Bennett made much of the Christmas season. From the Sunday after Thanksgiving until the last Sunday in December she would be airing all kinds of Christmas music, programs, and sound bites to commemorate this joyous season. Christmas time was a very special time for her. To tell you honestly, she would always pay special tributes to various holidays and special events throughout the years on her programs on 1940 WOMI AM in Owensboro. However, she always loved celebrating Christmas and the true meaning behind it which was the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Ms. Edith Lillian Bennett passed this year on Friday April 12, 2013 at Third Baptist Church in Owensboro, which was her home church. Ms. Bennett was born in Livermore, Kentucky on June 21, 1931 to Isa and Dorsey Bennett. She had a half-brother named Wendell Rone, who was a Baptist pastor and was the first pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Owensboro in 1959. Ms. Bennett graduated from Livermore High School in 1949 as the valedictorian of her class. She also graduated from Owensboro Junior College of Business, Moody Bible Institute, and Mid Continent University. She was an avid history buff and wrote several books on history of her hometown in Livermore as well as other books of history. In 1990 she compiled the booked entitled, Owensboro's Soundest Citizen--WOMI Radio, which was a collection of essays, newspaper articles and remembrances of WOMI radio and events of the past.
Ms. Bennett began her career at WOMI on November 28, 1950 and remained there until her death this year. She had the privilege to work as a secretary for the WOMI station founders Hugh O. and Cliffordean Potter until the Potters retired from the station in 1972. Ms. Bennett has broadcasted Radio Church Chapel and Down Memory Lane for a number of years. For years she also hosted the Christmas program on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on WOMI for probably almost as long as she's been working at WOMI. On her Christmas programs she would feature a variety of Christmas music ranging from solo, group singing, choirs, and symphony pops orchestra music. She would also air Handel's Messiah as well on Christmas Day. She and Carl Davis would host the program together. I always looked forward to listening to her Christmas program every year. Ms. Bennett was a member of the Owensboro Choral Society and sang the "Messiah" for 54 out of 55 years. She only missed one production and that was due to illness.
In addition to her celebrating Christmas on WOMI, she also paid tribute to other holidays and special events such as Black History Month in February, Easter in April, Memorial Day in May, Flag Day in June, Independence Day in July, Labor Day in September, Communion Sunday in October, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving Day in November, and probably some others that I've missed. She loved American history and would educate the radio audience about the uniqueness of American history. She also paid tribute to American Constitution Week in late September. Every five years she would pay tribute to WOMI's anniversary recapping past events that made WOMI history. I recall listening to her sound bites from WOMI's 65th and 70th anniversaries. She loved the station and loved the people who worked there. She would also speak fondly of the Potters and kept in contact with them until their deaths in 1986 and 1994.
She was also involved in numerous community activities as well such as the Sons and the Daughers of the American Revolution, her own church where she was secretary for 33 years, Past President of the West Central Kentucky Family Research Association, clerk for Daviess/McLean Baptist Association for 13 years, many historical societies some of them which included genealogical research into her family history, which included the Battle of Sacramento, and the list continues. She co-authored a number of books with different authors such as Hugh O. Potter on Abraham Lincoln.
Around 1960 or somewhere along that line, she took a trip to Ontario, Canada and through that trip she learned that Josiah Henson was the "Uncle Tom" that Harriet Beecher Stowe was mentioning in her book entitled, "Uncle Tom's Cabin." A few decades later a production was done in Owensboro entitled, "Josiah" and we can thank Edith Bennett for the information she compiled while on her trip in Ontario.
Ms. Bennett would always play great gospel music from a variety of gospel artists, choirs, soloists, and group singings on her Sunday morning program, Radio Church Chapel. I loved to listen to the gospel music she would play. She would also pay tribute to any gospel artist that passed away. For example, in 2008 she played some music from the late Dottie Rambo and the Rambos following Dottie's passing on May 11, 2008. It was through listening to Ms. Bennett's Sunday program that got me interested in wanting to write about Dottie Rambo's legacy in music a few years ago. Back in 2007 she played a song from Dottie Rambo entitled, "I Will Glory in the Cross" and it was through that song that I looked it up on YouTube. Before you knew it I was listening to other songs from Dottie and the Rambos and that stimulated my interest in desiring to write about Dottie on this blog. I always anticipated listening to Radio Church Chapel every Sunday morning. I would set my alarm so I could listen to her program. She was an inspiration to me.
I could say many other things about this gifted and happy lady, but it was always a blessing to listen to her many Sunday mornings on radio. I've started to listen to her intently starting in 2005. I've never met the woman in my life, but in a way you felt like you knew her by listening to her. She had several interests that I had so I guess that made a difference. Even though she was never married she seemed like she was a very happy lady. She was a studious woman and always was busy with numerous activities enjoying life. I thought this Christmas would be a great opportunity to pay tribute to her. I'll miss listening to her on radio.
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