Ed Slusarczyk, founder of Ag Radio Network, was a commercial farm broadcaster more than 68 years. He grew up on a dairy farm near Prospect, N.Y. loving radio, pretending he was a radio announcer when he was only four. In 1938 Ed began reporting news of the Oneida and Lewis County FFA chapters on WIBX, Utica.

When World War II started Ed built machine guns until enlisting in the Army in 1942. He survived the Normandy invasion in 1944, but was severely wounded in the battle of St. Lo. Recovery from a shattered left leg and ribs took nearly two years at the army hospital in Martinsburg, WV. A doctor suggested broadcasting as therapy. So, even while bedridden, he did a daily 30- minute program of farm news and sports on Armed Forces station WNDB.

Eighty-five percent disabled, Ed enrolled at Cornell University, traveling with the teams and reporting sports on WHCU, Ithaca, NY. He worked summers as 4-H extension agent in Oneida County and before earning his degree in Ag Economics he managed the student radio station. Bunny Broadman and Ed married in 1947. She was his partner and mother of their four children. Ed began his commercial farm radio career on WIBX, Utica in 1949. He left in 1956 to build and manage WREM, Remsen, NY. Ten years later Ed and Bunny sold the station and he returned to WIBX. The Slusarczyk family formed Ag Radio Network in 1976, starting with 11 stations. Ed reached his goal of “providing a voice for farmers in the Northeast” in 2002 when 144 stations were affiliated with Ag Radio Network, covering the Northeast from Maryland to Maine.

Flowers and sympathy cards are welcome. Friends are also encouraged to send contributions to the Ed Slusarczyk Scholarship Fund that has been established in his memory. Checks should be made out to the NAFB Foundation and sent to: National Association of Farm Broadcasting, Attn: NAFB Foundation/Ed Slusarczyk Scholarship, P.O. Box 500, Platte City, MO 64079.