“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Mark Twain The fondness they feel for the City of Macomb is almost palpable. They love that you can walk almost anywhere in this town. It is relatively inexpensive to live here. Almost anything you need to buy can be found locally or ordered online. The people are exceedingly friendly.
The fact that Macomb has access to Amtrak is a huge added bonus they stress. Their only lament with Amtrak is that there is no direct route to Jacksonville or Springfield, Illinois.
What is special about Jacksonville or Springfield? Many years ago, over 65 to be exact, Tom DePauw and Darryl Roberts met, as mere children, at what was then known as the Illinois Braille and Sight Saving School.
Wanting to give their children the best advantages they possibly could, their parents sent them to “the school for the blind’ to receive instruction. Braille, mobility training and daily living skills instruction.
Let this soak in, Tom DePauw was only six years old when he was sent to live away from his family. Most six year olds are entering first grade, perhaps riding a bus to elementary school, and at the end of the day returning home to where all things and people are familiar.
Tom DePauw however was sent to live at the age of six, a life comparable to that of a homesick college freshman. When asked if he was frightened, Tom replies “Oh yes”. But back in those days, the school in Jacksonville was the best and perhaps the only place available for those with impaired vision. Tom’s parents no doubt anguished at the situation as well. But it was crucial that Tom learn to function in life with what sight God had given him.
Over the years, Darryl and Tom have been able to return to the Jacksonville/ Springfield area to attend reunions, which take place every two years. However, some years they have missed the ISVI (what the school is now called-Illinois School for the Visually Impaired) reunions because they haven’t been able to find transportation.
Obviously, they don’t drive. Uber is too costly for them (the reunion is two days long, so would require multiple Uber trips). And they are people who don’t like to impose on their friends. Sometimes they think that if Amtrak had a direct route to Springfield, where the reunion is now held, they might be able to afford transportation to every reunion, with Amtrak discounts.
The Illinois School for the Visually Impaired was in those days both a day program and a residential school. Darryl and Tom both lived at the school, so for a brief time in their lives Jacksonville was the center of their universe.
So how did the friends from ISVI end up in Macomb, Illinois? And what has kept them in Macomb for the last several decades? (This writer’s favorite question to ask interviewees-because each story is as simple and complex as the next. But the bottom line is they came to Macomb and never left).
A Love For Radio and Music Tom DePauw and Darryl Robert’s passion for radio broadcasting and music led them to reunite after school in Jacksonville. Darryl, being a little older than Tom, had moved to Chicago to work in the broadcasting field and Tom soon followed.
While working in Chicago, they were hired at one point by the legendary Art Roberts, a WLS personality in the Windy City. Art Roberts joined WLS in 1961, working the midday shift, after Dick Biondi left in 1963. Art moved to the night time spot where WLS experienced record audiences.
When Art Roberts was hired to be program director at another station, he employed Tom and Darryl to be music programmers and librarians. Art saw the passion of these two gentlemen and encouraged them to expand their horizons and live their dream.
Their music programming gave the duo thoughts of themselves doing on-air work and eventually putting together their own radio station.
DePauw mentioned, in an earlier Patrick Stout article, that they had been told that Macomb, Illinois had a need for a small, community based operation, as the FCC was phasing out the old 10-watt college radio stations.
The first Macomb efforts for Tom and Darryl involved programming through the amateur radio band and satellite radio.
The FCC opened up a small window for licensing “low power FM stations”, whose signal would only transmit about 15 miles, give or take.
DePauw and Roberts were awarded the license for WTND, FM 106.3., with the letters TND standing for Tom N’ Darryl, and just by fluke or fate, those three call letters had just become available when someone, somewhere had given them up two weeks earlier.
While it may sound like this was all “a walk in the park”, Tom and Darryl stress that all of their lives they had met negativity and even ridicule when they expressed their dream of having their own radio station. People, with the exception of their parents and Art Roberts, were generally incredulous at the notion that two legally blind men could succeed in radio broadcasting.
About WTND
WTND is a low power FM radio station. It began broadcasting the evening of January 8, 2003 to the Macomb area at 106.3 on the FM dial. Incidentally, the frigid January weather in Macomb that day warmed to a wonderful 68 degrees, allowing their tower to be erected.
Many people worked to get this community radio station on the air. Broadcast producers Tom DePauw and Darryl Roberts have done live shows and remote shows on community events, from peace marches to church services broadcasts 24 hours daily.
According to an article by Chris Gin in 2018, DePauw and Roberts are widely known and respected for their music expertise.
Sam Parker, who for many years ran a radio program called “Parker’s Platters”, stated that “Roberts and DePauw seem to know more about pre-1950’s era music than about anyone I’ve ever met.”
WTND is also on the Internet at WTND.org. The website includes a search button, a listen tab and links to various other features. Their schedule contains such genres as music, politics, scores from plays and local church services.
About Tom and Darryl and The Future Tom and Darryl attend the Episcopal Church on University Drive and have a Sunday broadcast for their own church as well as others in Macomb.
As much as these two friends and pioneers would like to run their beloved radio station indefinitely, the years are catching up with them, as they are with all of us.
These two life-long, legally blind friends have managed well over the years, taking care of themselves and of each other. But they are both in their 70’s now, and things are getting harder.
Some of the hardships they face occur mainly in the winter months, and are not necessary. They state that many of the city sidewalks are impassable because of snow. Many times they are forced to walk in the streets, making navigating Macomb extremely dangerous.
Another problem the duo has lies with the stoplight control signals themselves. In some cases the signals are not loud enough-other times, the signals themselves are wrong. Unbeknownst to those of us who can see, the audible tones actually “talk” to the pedestrians, maybe a series of beeps or a long, steady tone. Or perhaps even a voice telling them when it is safe to cross a busy 4-lane street.
Tom and Darryl would be glad to speak to city officials about these problems that make crossing busy Macomb streets very unsafe for the visually impaired.
On the east side of town, where Tom and Darryl shop for groceries (Hy-Vee), many sidewalks have buckled due to tree roots. This is a hazard for anyone walking at night, but especially for the legally blind walking anytime.
DePauw and Roberts are very grateful for their many friends in Macomb who help them out. They are also frequent passengers of McDonough County Public Transportation, mainly for medical appointments on the south side of town. They feel blessed to live close to the YMCA where they can walk for delicious noon meals.
Running a radio station does come with expenses, mainly fees that are related to licensing.
The founders of WTND would be elated to receive any donations no matter how small. Their fees run about $3000 a year are increasing. Also, it is their dream to have a building to operate their station from, as they currently broadcast WTND from their small home.
To donate to WTND one can mail a check or money order to: WTND, Box 665, Macomb, IL 61455. Or to donate online, go to their website WTND.org and click on the donate button.
Tom and Darryl stress that even the smallest donations to this non-profit radio station are appreciated and are tax-deductible. Tax receipts will be furnished.
Darryl Roberts spent hours making this writer a complete schedule of their programming (see box above). Some of their broadcasts are live, some are pre-recorded.
These two gentlemen overcame the naysayers and are living the dream of having their own radio station in America. They could teach us all a lesson about compassion, grit, perseverance and courage.
