Stephen St. James: 1973-2011

(Cross-posted from DougMorris.net.)

When my wife died four years ago, a relative told me that God must have needed Cindy for a reason.

Today, I tell you God must have needed Stephen St. James for a reason. Stephen has died after a battle with brain cancer.

For a vast majority of Rock 104’s existence, Stephen worked in afternoon drive. He also served as the operations manager for our parent company, Blakeney Communications. Stephen previously worked at other radio stations in the Pine Belt and Meridian.

When Stephen and I worked at one of those other stations, he taught me the nuts and bolts of the business – when to introduce songs, when to air the weather forecast, when to play contests and so forth. When severe weather hit our neighborhoods in November of 1992, Stephen talked me through how we should cover the storm.

Stephen would want us to continue to rock the Pine Belt and serve the public trust. While we mourn, we will also continue to move forward without him.

In moving forward, we will miss Stephen’s sharp sense of humor and insight in the business.

Our condolences to his wife, Marilyn, and his family.

Godspeed, Stephen. We’ll miss you dearly.