Losing 3 good friends in 3 days

You’ve heard the old saying: “They always come in threes.” That’s often said about show business deaths. One after another, after another. I’ve lost three good friends already in 2024, and although they’re not show business related, all three were entertaining in their own way. Plus a lot of other great qualities.

On New Years Day, I heard about Fred Skillern, who had been ill for a while. Still, the news of his death was surprising, because Fred was rock solid and built to last. The former Soddy-Daisy High School football star had gone on to become a super-successful business owner, and a highly influential (some might say powerful) political figure in Hamilton County.  He served 20 years on the School Board, and 13 more on the County Commission, often in leadership roles. For a third of a century, a new school didn’t get built without Fred Skillern’s approval. And a whole lot of them got built.

When a new school superintendent would come into Hamilton County, they were always told, “Go visit Fred.” They would obediently make the trip to Soddy-Daisy, where Fred would hold court in his cramped office at Dixie Souvenirs, the international business he operated with his family. Yes, international. Fred would delight in detailing his visits to China. To look at Fred, he would be the last person you would imagine doing business in China. He would be the first to admit, he would fit in better on the set of “Dukes of Hazzard.” Opposing politicians would even refer to him as “Boss Hogg,” and he would laugh it off. He didn’t have an MBA, but he knew where every last penny was spent, when it came to Hamilton County tax dollars.

In his later years, he finally lost an election. In 2014, he simply didn’t bother to campaign. I don’t think he felt the need to. His opponent did, and Fred lost in a close race. He didn’t pout or hold a grudge. He just went back to work in the family business, and continued to entertain and educate visitors in his office with his pinpoint recollections of Hamilton County history. Especially Soddy-Daisy.

He turned a family tragedy (the death of his 49-year-old son Rees) into a $3 million dollar cancer institute at CHI Memorial in Chattanooga. After he lost his wife Bettye a few months ago, he seemed to lose a little steam. His friends say in recent weeks, he was at peace with his own illness, and was ready to reunite with Bettye and Rees.

Fred Skillern was always 100% open, honest, available and transparent with me. That’s a reporter’s dream, and a friend’s friend. Fred put in 87 years on this earth, and didn’t waste a minute.

On the 2nd day of January word came that Mark Hite had died at the age of 58. What can you say about the best known realtor in Chattanooga, the man known as “Local Mark.” He was the life of the party, the straw that stirs the drink, the guy who brought sunshine to every room with his smile.

He was also an accomplished businessman, and although he never entered the political arena, he gave back in a different way. He was responsible for raising tons of money for a seemingly endless list of local charities. Although I have no proof of this, he apparently never said “no” to an invitation to be a part of a ball, a gala, a dancing exhibition, or whatever event had been taken on by a charity organization in need. He didn’t have to do that, but he sincerely enjoyed the lights, the music, the socializing, and the benefits he could bring to his community.

My wife Cindy met him once, at the Convention Center of course, during one of those gala events. She was a fan of Mark’s persona, well established in his advertising campaigns. He exemplified joy, enthusiasm, and positivity. Cindy later told me, “I had one of the easiest, most normal conversations I have ever had with someone I didn’t really know. He was really something, and I never forgot his kindness.”

Sentiments like that have been repeated constantly in the 24 hours since we learned of Mark’s passing. Mark believed in first impressions, and he always made a good one. Some years back, when he heard I was starting a radio show, he loved the concept, and became one of my first sponsors. I have no idea if I brought him any business at all, and I don’t think he was concerned about that. He wanted to help give me a jump start. In the scheme of his business and advertising endeavors, it was a small gesture, but it meant a lot to me.

Multiply that good deed by a few thousand, and you will understand why many of us believe the world lost a little brightness when Mark left us. Now it’s up to us to carry on his goal of lighting up lives, one person at a time.

On the third day of January I had almost finished up at work when I received a message about a former co-worker. Ed Aslinger was chief engineer at WRCB when I started there in 1987. For the next two decades, he was a combination fixer/advisor/good humor man.

Ed and I hit it off immediately. We shared one special bond. Each of us had worked in rock ‘n roll radio at WFLI. In the station’s early days in the 1960s, he was known as “Ed Gale” on the night shift. He also helped with engineering at the 50,000 watt AM station during the day.

He later worked at Chattanooga TV stations WTVC, WTCI and WRIP before finding a 35-year home at WRCB until his retirement in 2007.

He was smart as a whip, quick with a quip, and never got excited about anything. Steady as she goes, Ed never had a bad day.

At Channel 3, we called him “Ace” and he directed a staff of engineers in a TV operation where something was always in need of repair. It’s the nature of the business. But he never broke a sweat. He did an exemplary job with his team of engineers, and made us on-camera types look good every day. For an old radio guy, he did a masterful job of transitioning to TV. He left around the time we switched from analog to digital. I think he would have mastered that too. He just wouldn’t have bragged about it.

Around the time I got a computer and signed up for email, one of the first messages I got was from Ed, on Christmas Eve many years ago. I wish I had saved it. I remember reading it, and I was moved by his writing. Trust me, not every old deejay had a gift for the written word. But Ed wrote from the heart, and expressed himself beautifully. He was proud of his dual careers in radio and TV, and loved his co-workers. Believe me, the feeling was mutual. Ed was 83 when he passed.

3 days, 3 great losses. I suppose I could wallow in sadness that I can no longer pick up the phone and learn some local history from Fred, or enjoy the spectacle of happiness that was Mark, or get a guaranteed laugh from Ed. But I’m not going to dwell on the fact these special guys were taken away from us. I prefer to be thankful that they were given to us for a while, and their gifts are ever lasting.