In 1964 when I was turning 20, Casey was a DJ for KRLA-1110, Pasadena, near Los Angeles (noon to 3 p.m. weekdays). KRLA was my favorite station and Casey was a star to me! Even in those days he ended his show each day with "Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars!"
My friend Alan Coalson and I went to a dance Casey was hosting in my hometown of Lynwood in Los Angeles County. We were so excited to meet him! I noticed he was having trouble using the auditorium sound system for his band singers to sing through. So I told him that I had a sound system with an Altec 604C speaker in a cabinet at home I thought would work better for him. He asked me to go home and get it. When I returned and hooked it up for them to use, they loved it! So Casey hired me to bring my sound system to his dances for $5 per night plus free admission to the dances - about 3 more times in Lynwood.
He was 34 and single back then, and drove an old Cadillac. He reminded me of an aspiring Hollywood star. His $5 checks were printed with the name "Kemel Casey Kasem." He gave me his home phone number too - HO (Hollywood) 90028. I called him a couple of times. That made me feel pretty important!
He later moved his dances to Thousand Oaks, California, about 45 minutes north of Lynwood. So he raised my pay to $9 per night for travel, plus free admission, of course, to meet the girls. That lasted another two or three times until he got his own sound system.
I was just a kid then who was a want-to-be DJ. I finally became one about 3 years later after I finished a 2 year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I had kept in touch with Casey over the years. He always took the time to return my calls. One time in 1981, my wife Linda answered the phone. She was thrilled that she got to talk with him!
Casey died on Father's Day, June 15, 2014 at the age of 82 years.
I pray that God will remember the kindness Casey has shown to me, a kid who wanted to follow him into the business. I will always remember Casey as an American legend and as my mentor. His greatest advise was, "Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars!" To me that's a metaphor to stay grounded in Godly principles, and through hard work you will grow to become all that God intends for you — great words to live by!
And I pray that God's peace will be with Casey's family.
