“He was more than a voice to us,” Alderwoman Marlene Davis said of Bernie Hayes, when introducing an aldermanic resolution honoring his years of service to the city at the opening of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen meeting on Friday, December 11.
Hayes’ long history of volunteerism, especially to assist senior citizens, and his commitment to the Civil Rights Movement were among the acts of service for which he was thanked, both from the podium and the floor.
But it was his voice – and intelligence as a broadcaster – that aldermen remembered. The man who wrote the book, literally, on the death of black radio brought the glory days of black radio back to mind for many.
“Many of us grew up on his voice,” said Alderman Terry Kennedy, who proudly said he has a signed and dedicated copy of Hayes’ book “The Death of Black Radio.” “He had the capacity to capture what happened in the community. It was good to hear him. He made St. Louis a better place.”
Davis recited an alphabet soup of call letters for the stations where Hayes worked.
“If you didn’t have a TV, you had a radio,” Davis said. “Even if you had a TV, you relied on the radio. The programs were longer and gave you more information.”
Hayes also has been generous in lending his voice to countless charities. “He assisted us in so many causes when we needed a voice and the right information,” Davis said. “He is extremely supportive of the senior community.”
Seniors from the Heritage House Apartments were among those who expressed well wishes on a large card prepared for Hayes. “The Heritage House seniors can always count on you,” Cynthia A. Crawford wrote in signing for the group.
Ollie M. Stewart, 6th ward Democratic committeewoman and executive director of the Southside Wellness Center, said Hayes always lifts seniors’ spirits when he takes the mic. “He makes seniors laugh, he makes them dance,” Stewart said.
Hayes also produces records for his wife, Uvee Hayes, who is enjoying a successful R&B career in her own senior years with his support. Alderman Sam Moore spoke up from the floor to congratulate both of them on her career.
Alderman Freeman Bosley Sr. dabbled in music production himself as a young man operating Teek Records. “Nobody else played my records,” Bosley said. “Bernie was there for me when nobody else was.”
Hayes remains active as a journalist. He hosts “The Bernie Hayes Show” TV program, which airs on KNLC-TV Ch. 24 at 10 p.m. Saturday and 5:30 p.m. Sunday. He writes a column for The American. He is the founder of the St. Louis Black Radio Hall of Fame. He also is a professor in the School of Communications at Webster University, where he has taught courses in cultural diversity for more than 20 years.
“Bernie Hayes has been inspiring and informing Webster students for years,” Gary Ford, chair of the Communications and Journalism Department, said in a statement. “They love him. He has the ability to help them see complicated issues from multiple perspectives.”
Hayes’ uniquely positive personal style – “be ever wonderful” is one of his signature sign-offs – was fondly remembered.
“If you know him, you know he is a gentleman – a gentle man,” Davis said. “In his quiet, smooth way, he is always right there supporting us.”
When Hayes finally took the mic, after thanking a few people, he simply said, “I love you.” Then the entire Board of Aldermen signed on in support of the resolution honoring him.
“It’s a rare occasion,” aldermanic President Lewis Reed said, “when aldermen agree 100 percent on anything.”
