DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Paul Kallinger, standing right here in Val Verde County. Now pull up a chair — or just keep both hands on the wheel — because this one's got radio waves in its bones. Paul Kallinger was born December 4, 1922, and from early on, the man was flat-out fascinated.
Not with cattle prices or courthouse politics, but with the verbal abilities of auctioneers and radio hosts. That particular fascination, friends, has a way of changin' a life. After serving in World War II with the U.S.
Coast Guard, Kallinger enrolled at Frederick H. Sphere Radio Announcing School out in Hollywood, California. He was going to learn how to talk — professionally, magnificently, for all the world to hear.
His first stop was right here, a short job with KDLK in Del Rio. Then he and his family moved to Louisiana. But Del Rio wasn't done with Paul Kallinger, and in 1948 he came back — this time for a disc jockey position with XERF.
Now, XERF. He played hillbilly and bluegrass music, and he promoted various products on the air, all of it delivered in that voice, that presence. Word spread the way radio waves do — without asking permission, crossing every fence line and county road in reach.
The recognition came. Induction into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. Induction into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame.
A nationally-famous disc jockey, the marker calls him. Paul Kallinger passed on May 29, 2001. And the way this marker remembers him — not just by his awards, but by a name his listeners already knew — says everything.
Your good neighbor along the way. On the radio, and apparently, right here on the road.
What the marker says
(December 4, 1922 - May 29, 2001) FASCINATED WITH THE VERBAL ABILITIES OF AUCTIONEERS AND RADIO HOSTS, PAUL KALLINGER ENTERED FREDERICK H. SPHERE RADIO ANNOUNCING SCHOOL IN HOLLYWOOD AFTER SERVING IN WWII WITH THE U.S. COAST GUARD. AFTER A SHORT JOB IN DEL RIO WITH KDLK, KALLINGER AND HIS FAMILY MOVED TO LOUISIANA BEFORE RETURNING TO DEL RIO IN 1948 FOR A DISC JOCKEY POSITION WITH XERF. KALLINGER PLAYED HILLBILLY AND BLUEGRASS MUSIC AND PROMOTED VARIOUS PRODUCTS ON AIR. HE RECEIVED SEVERAL AWARDS INCLUDING INDUCTION INTO THE TEXAS COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND THE COUNTRY MUSIC DISC JOCKEY HALL OF FAME. KALLINGER IS REMEMBERED AS A NATIONALLY-FAMOUS DISC JOCKEY AND "YOUR GOOD NEIGHBOR ALONG THE WAY."