Jun 1, 1996/Carole Beers (Seattle Times) — Edward Louis Purcell’s resonant voice brought a personal touch to radio news and weather in Washington state in the 1950s and 1960s.
His dry wit was a bonus for listeners.
“I don’t want you to be on my (traffic) casualty list in the morning,” he’d warn his listeners on New Year’s Eve. “If you are, about the only thing I can do for you is pronounce your name correctly.”
Mr. Purcell, of SeaTac, died of cancer last Saturday (May 25). He was 74.
He served as a reporter or news director on radio stations in Wenatchee and Tacoma, was news chief at KIRO-Radio in Seattle from 1958-1960, tried free-lance writing, then spent a few years directing news at KFHA and KTAC in Tacoma.
In 1964 he switched to the prosecutor’s office, became a clerk, and from 1978-1992 served as a bailiff.
