Reflections on Bob Umbach from his daughter, Nancy Hodges
Title
Reflections on Bob Umbach from his daughter, Nancy Hodges
Subject
Bob Umbach
WJLD
Description
Nancy Hodges, daughter of Bob Umbach, famous Bessemer and Birmingham radio pioneer; her very early recollections of her dad before he and his wife were divorced.
Bob Umbach, 1946-1953, WJLD, Bessemer/Birmingham Announcer, originator Atomic Boogie Hour
(b. Jan 1, 1914, d. June 7, 1988)
Bob Umbach, 1946-1953, WJLD, Bessemer/Birmingham Announcer, originator Atomic Boogie Hour
(b. Jan 1, 1914, d. June 7, 1988)
Creator
Bob Friedman
Nancy Hodges
Publisher
Birmingham Black Radio Museum
Date
February 19, 1994
Contributor
Adam Beebe
Emily Bibb
Format
MP3
JPG
PDF
Language
English
Identifier
UmbachOH
Interviewer
Bob Friedman
Interviewee
Nancy Hodges
Transcription
Transcript of audio snippet:
Nancy Hodges: ... I could have been 4, or 5.
Bob Friedman: So at 4 or 5 what year would that be?
N: Yeah, I can remember my mother letting me wait up for him at night.
B: OK.
N: And I think I remember him taking me and my sister to the radio station a couple times and he would let us sit there and we would sing “God Bless America.” (laughs)
B: (Laughs) How old – I mean, what year would this be?
N: Um, I was born in ’48 – – ’53. That’s right?
B: OK. So in 1953 – now one of the stories we hear is that Bob was active in radio back in the ‘40s. So you might be remembering the end of his career here.
N: It seems like, so.
B: Yeah.
Nancy Hodges: ... I could have been 4, or 5.
Bob Friedman: So at 4 or 5 what year would that be?
N: Yeah, I can remember my mother letting me wait up for him at night.
B: OK.
N: And I think I remember him taking me and my sister to the radio station a couple times and he would let us sit there and we would sing “God Bless America.” (laughs)
B: (Laughs) How old – I mean, what year would this be?
N: Um, I was born in ’48 – – ’53. That’s right?
B: OK. So in 1953 – now one of the stories we hear is that Bob was active in radio back in the ‘40s. So you might be remembering the end of his career here.
N: It seems like, so.
B: Yeah.
Duration
Full interview: 3 minutes
Audio snippet: 2 minutes
Audio snippet: 2 minutes
Files
Collection
Citation
Bob Friedman and Nancy Hodges, “Reflections on Bob Umbach from his daughter, Nancy Hodges,” The Birmingham Black Radio Museum, accessed September 7, 2026, https://www.thebbrm.org/item/53.
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