Danville Lions hear from veteran broadcaster, reporter
Veteran broadcaster, reporter and investigator Bill Pickett shared about his 55 years of television and radio reporting at a recent Danville Lions meeting.
Having retired five years ago, Pickett is now employed with the Vermilion County Museum, after having volunteered there upon his retirement. Among other duties, he largely works on special projects with 15,000 donated small Match Box cars and over 10,000 donated sports cards. He is also involved in the 200th anniversary celebration of Vermilion County by gathering information from books for his short stories about all of the towns in the county.
Pickett is writing a book of memoirs of his life experience in Vermilion County with the tentative title: 'Behind The Mic – For Over 50 Years.' He believes that God has a plan for each of us and he was open to finding his calling. During his time at the then Danville Junior College, he met and became friends with John Edwards. He and some other friends would go to WITY Radio to help John with his 'All Requests Weekend' shows by answering the phones and digging out records from the station's record library for John to play. Pickett began a journey of microphone experiences which then grew for decades.
On a personal note, Pickett met his wife Cheryl on a blind date, and the weekend after she graduated from Westville High School, they were married. He noted sadly her passing in February 2020.
Pickett always enjoyed doing the news, and noted a particular event on Sept. 20, 1968, when he helped News Director Doug Jackson broadcast a DHS football game the night when there was a devastating blast at Lauhoff. He believed he entered the news profession literally 'Baptized by fire.'
Between WITY, WDAN-WDNL, WRHK Radio, and WCIA TV, he has decades of stories to share of working with eight mayors; getting to witness Joe Tanner's first launch into space; covering news with Vicki Haugen and DACC and the founders of the Economic Development Corporation; covering news of the Vermilion County Board; the hometown stars Dick and Jerry Van Dyke, Bobby Short, Gene Hackman, Donald O'Connor, and others who raised funds for the rebirth of the Fischer Theater; a horrific blizzard in in 1978; the 2006 birth of the famous Pete and Jenny Ferrill quintuplets, and more.
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