We just got the sad news that our long-time friend and colleague, Dick Buckley passed away at 85 today. While we try to get our wits about us to form some coherent thoughts to share, here’s the piece we ran on Eight Forty-Eight when he retired from the airwaves a few years ago. [audio:/sites/default/files/archives/music/2010/07/848_buckley.mp3|titles=Dick Buckley retires from the airwaves]

If microphones could speak, they would sing the praises of Dick Buckley. His rich baritone has been making them all sound good for nearly 60 years. And the message that voice has been delivering for most of those years is one of an everlasting love of jazz music. Buckley’s radio career began in the late forties at a 250 watt station in Fort Wayne, not far from his boyhood home in Decatur, Indiana. In the mid-fifties, Buckley found his way to Chicago, and since then his voice has been one of the most recognizable on local airwaves. In 1977, he brought his jazz program to WBEZ. Buckley recently announced his retirement, and this Sunday afternoon he’ll deliver his farewell broadcast on Chicago Public Radio. In 2004, Chicago Public Radio’s Steve Edwards talked with Buckley, who said that deep voice of his was once even deeper…

Share your memories of Dick Buckley here. Here are the comments from his retirement.