H.R. No. 108
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, For many years, veteran broadcaster Bob Nance was
one of the most familiar and distinctive voices on KNAL radio in
Victoria; and
WHEREAS, KNAL was founded in 1948 as a country music station;
pronounced "canal," the station's call letters were chosen in honor
of the Victoria Barge Canal that connected the town to the Gulf
Intracoastal Waterway; and
WHEREAS, A native of Beeville, Bob Nance joined KNAL's lineup
of announcers in 1953, and in those colorful early days of the
station, improvisation was the order of the day; on Mr. Nance's
first night on the job, the station abruptly lost its affiliation to
its network, and the new deejay was forced to replace a baseball
game with an impromptu program of recorded music; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Nance continued to hone his improvisational
skills as the announcer for the local minor league baseball team,
the Victoria Rosebuds; home games were broadcast live, but the
budget did not allow the station to accompany the team to away
games, so Mr. Nance dramatized the play-by-play as he received it
from the Western Union teletype, adding such sound effects as crowd
noise, the whistle of a passing train, or the sound of an aircraft
overhead; an engineer in the studio next door supplied the sound of
a hit by cracking two bats together near the microphone; and
WHEREAS, In those early days, Mr. Nance also witnessed the
beginnings of several stellar careers; standing in the doorway of
the station one summer day in 1953, he was handed a demo record by a
young sailor named George Jones, and the station was occasionally
visited by the young Jim Lehrer, the future PBS anchorman, whose
father managed the local Trailways bus station; Mary Elizabeth
Smith, the sister of fellow KNAL announcer Bob Smith, went on to
become Liz Smith, the internationally famous gossip columnist; and
WHEREAS, The years Bob Nance spent in the broadcast booth at
KNAL have made him a beloved and well-respected figure in Victoria,
and he may indeed look back with pride on a career well spent,
bringing the gifts of entertainment, inspiration, and information
to his listeners; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby honor Bob Nance for his
immeasurable contribution to his community and extend to him
sincere best wishes for continued happiness; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Nance as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Morrison
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 108 was adopted by the House on June
25, 2013, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House