Mr. John W “Bud” Angst
Mr. John Angst Obituary
Loving Husband, Father, Brother and Grandfather
The End for a Local Legend
Bud Angst, Valley View resident, radio broadcaster, politician, and WWII Veteran, passed away peacefully on the morning of April 26th at the age of 93.
The eldest of 18 children, Bud had a childhood full of adventure (and some mischief). He left his home in Pine Grove at the age of 13 to work in Florida as a boys school counselor, sending home money for the family. He graduated from high school in St. Petersburg, Fl. Shortly thereafter, Bud enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, and he served in the Mediterranean as a radio operator during World War II.
Bud applied some of the skills he learned in the service when he owned and operated a chain of AM radio stations. Together with his wife, Alice, and a crew with whom he worked closely, Bud operated WLSH in Lansford, WPAM in Pottsville, and WMBA in Ambridge. He pioneered talk radio by hosting several week day, hourly radio shows, including Air Your Opinion, Ask Your Neighbor (eventually hosted by Alice), and Dutch Trader. The Ask Your Neighbor show resulted in the publication of two cookbooks, each of which went into a second print run and are sought after by local historians. Bud’s editorializing on the air resulted in 17 attorneys signing a petition requesting that the Schuylkill County Court hold him in contempt for every editorial broadcast he made. If upheld, the petition would have resulted in 475 counts of contempt. The court not only cleared him of charges but also encouraged radio editorials, establishing the case for editorializing over the airwaves.
After selling the stations, Bud founded, owned, and operated the Midweeker, a weekly newspaper in Lansford. Upon retiring from the newspaper ownership business, he became the Schuylkill County Courthouse contributing editor for the Citizen-Standard. He also continued to serve as a political consultant to several area office holders.
Bud served three 4-year terms as Carbon County Commissioner, but he was never endorsed by his party nor was he ever re-elected immediately after serving a term. Bud believed that elected officials must do what they think is best for the people and not merely what meets with popular approval. He served six years as a member of the Governors Justice Commission and several terms as the Carbon County Republican Chairman and a member of the partys state committee. Early in his political career, he served as the campaign manager for Senator Arlen Spector.
A former Elderhosteler, in between his retirement activities, he enjoyed and made time for teaching Elderhostel courses in journalism, writing, and American History.
Bud is survived by his wife, Alice Tomchany, with whom he celebrated their 70th anniversary the morning of his passing. He was a father to two surviving children, Bonnie Angst of St. Clair and Lisa Long of Nottingham, and he was a grandfather to Addie Manis of Los Angeles, CA, Nellie Manis of Washington, DC, and Charles Manis of Philadelphia. He is survived by 13 of his brothers and sisters. Services and interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The American Veterans Center, 1100 N Gleve Rd, Ste 910, Arlington VA 22201 in the name of John W. Bud Angst, WWII Veteran (www.americanveteranscenter.org) Arrangements are by Foulk & Grieco Funeral Home (610-869-2685) of West Grove, PA. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.griecocares.com
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The American Veterans Center1100 N Gleve Rd,
Ste 910, Arlington VA 22201
Services
Services and Interment will be held privately
Private
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