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It seems like Walt Bodine’s familiar voice has been welcoming Kansas City into conversations forever, but the microphone has not always been aimed in his direction.

Walton Marshall Bodine was born in Kansas City, Mo., on August 27, 1920, the only child of Walton and Mary Ethyl Bodine. Although the family would move several times in his early years, they eventually ended up on the city’s East Side where his pharmacist father ran a drug store.

It was a turbulent time in the life of both Kansas City and the United States. While young Walt worked his way through school, the nation would go from the Roaring 20s to the Dirty 30s and a young broadcaster would discover his calling.

Next: Getting an Education