June Persons

2001 Charter Inductee

June was born on June 30, 1916, in Barnum, Minnesota. She graduated from Duluth Central High School where she was an excellent student, member of the band, and voted the most likely to become the first woman President.  The closest she got was interviewing Ronald Reagan while she and her husband Charlie operated Radio Station KVBR in Brainerd.

June entered broadcasting in 1941 at WEBC Duluth, acting in a locally produced daily situation comedy called "The Woman I Love." That is where she met Charles Persons, her husband to be, and also a member of the Hall of Fame. They were married in 1945. June and Charlie built WELY Ely in 1954. They operated the station for five years before selling and moving to California. They returned to Minnesota and eventually built another station, KVBR Brainerd, in 1964. They sold KVBR in 1982, bought it back in 1986, and finally retired in 1994.

Besides her management work, she was also an important on-air figure at KVBR, and was known for her daily program "Frills and Fancies." She has interviewed countless celebrities, including President Ronald Reagan, Ginger Rogers, Art Linkletter, Don Ho, the great chefs of Europe, and even the famous TV dog Lassie, bringing the world to Minnesota listeners.

A very active and social person, June was a Board member of the Heartland Symphony, and many civic organizations including Zonta Club,  League of Women Voters, Nisswa Garden Club, and American Women in Radio and Television.

June Persons passed away December 10, 2013 at the age of 97.