Mike MolonyThe Voice of CSRM
I came into this world on an Easter Sunday, a looong time ago in Santa Barbara, California. I spent most of my formative years growing up in Southern California, living, working and learning in the Golden State until moving to Phoenix, Arizona after graduating from La Verne College, now known as the University of La Verne.
|
Not enjoying the heat in the Valley of the Sun and failing to land a job at one of the local television stations, I moved back to So-Cal, taking a job doing marketing and public relations for Coast Federal Savings and Loan in downtown Los Angeles. Working and commuting to downtown LA was made a lot easier by the fact that I was living in Long Beach, only two blocks from the Pacific Ocean.
But having helped to start a closed circuit radio station while in college and having grown up listening to some of the best radio broadcasters in the business, the desire to see if I could make it as a full-time radio personality was tugging at me. So after going to night school and earning my broadcast license from the FCC, I loaded up the old U-Haul and headed off to beautiful downtown Roswell, New Mexico to begin my radio career at a small 1,000 watt country station.
That’s where it all began, and for the next 26 years, with stops in El Paso, Texas, Palm Springs, California and then back to Albuquerque, New Mexico (only three hours up the road from Roswell), I had more fun than I could ever imagine, “playing the hits” and attempting to brightening people’s days as they tuned in to hear me be a “josh dickie” on the radio.
But “all good things must come to an end” as someone once said as I was called into the “Big Boss’s” office and he said, “I hate to do this, but we have to make some budget cuts...so get your stuff and get out of here. We will have a check for you this afternoon!” And just like that, my radio career came to a screeching halt.
But somebody else once said, “when one door closes another one opens” and that’s what happened as the church where I was a member was building a Family Life Center and they were beginning their search for a Director to ride herd on all things scheduled inside. It was my kind of place as it had a full basketball court with a maple wood floor, a commercial kitchen and an equity sized theatrical stage. They wanted someone who liked sports and drama and wasn’t adverse to working long and weird hours. Since I was a speech and drama major in college, with a PE minor and had just finished 26 years of long and weird hours having been in broadcasting, it seemed like the perfect fit. And it was, for almost 17 years. Among other things, I got to run a very successful Upward Basketball League (at one point we had close to 600 kids playing), giving young boys and girls in the first through sixth grades an upbeat and positive place to enjoy playing and learning the game of basketball while also learning about the love of Jesus Christ. It was a great league, lots of fun and a wonderful experience. I also go to work with a lot of volunteers and other groups both inside and outside of the church, helping them plan and implement many different programs and activities.
And then one day, just as had happened with my radio career and the “Big Boss” calling me into his office, the senior pastor at our church (kind of like the big boss I guess) told me that the church was hurting financially as giving was down and that they were going to have to make some budget cuts (where had I heard that before?!?) and my position was being eliminated. So my almost 17 year career as a church recreator came to a screeching halt as well.
At my age, and needing to work for a few more years before retirement, I was able to get on with the local school district, working as an educational assistant. My first year in this position, I worked with special ed kids at our neighboring high school. And just this past school year, I again worked as an EA, but more specifically as a Behavior Redirector at a small elementary school, working with young students, giving them a place to vent and calm down, trying to help keep them pointed in the right direction. It’s been a lot of fun and very rewarding, and if the virus goes away and we can all go back to school, I will again be doing that for another year or two at least.
Speaking of school, I was a three sport letter man in high school and was Student Body President in college where I also lettered in basketball (all four years), volleyball (two years) and a year of freshman baseball. I also appeared in many theatrical productions and have still done a few at church and locally in community theater.
I am happily married to the Lovely Ms. Molony and we have two grown boys who both live here in Albuquerque. At home you will also find three dogs (one that we are raising to be a service dog for Canine Companions for Independence) two cats and five turtles patrolling our back yard.
I collect and like to wear hats (at one time I had close to 1,500), wild and crazy neckties...and I also collect John Wayne memorabilia and items about comedians. I follow and root for the Dodgers and the Angels (I was the public address announcer for them for three spring training seasons when they trained in Palm Springs) and watching movies, especially westerns and classic comedies.
I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior when I was a second grader and have always attended church. I was active at Sandia Presbyterian Church where I was an elder, a member of both the building and the fellowship committees and of course a staff member for almost 17 years. But since I needed to look for a new job I also went looking for a new church too, and just last year I joined St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, a small, very progressive, socially minded and very friendly congregation where I was also able to join the choir since I am no longer having to work long and weird hours.
When I was serving on the church staff, I found CSRM and the yearly conferences to be of great help to me and my ministry. I got to meet many wonderful people and was honored to be asked to serve on the Board of Directors. Unfortunately when my job ended at the church I had to excuse myself from the Board, but being asked to help with some voice work for the CSRM videos and podcasts, was an unexpected pleasure, taking me back to my radio announcing days, and keeping involved with a great group of folks doing wonderful work in the area of Christian Recreation.
But having helped to start a closed circuit radio station while in college and having grown up listening to some of the best radio broadcasters in the business, the desire to see if I could make it as a full-time radio personality was tugging at me. So after going to night school and earning my broadcast license from the FCC, I loaded up the old U-Haul and headed off to beautiful downtown Roswell, New Mexico to begin my radio career at a small 1,000 watt country station.
That’s where it all began, and for the next 26 years, with stops in El Paso, Texas, Palm Springs, California and then back to Albuquerque, New Mexico (only three hours up the road from Roswell), I had more fun than I could ever imagine, “playing the hits” and attempting to brightening people’s days as they tuned in to hear me be a “josh dickie” on the radio.
But “all good things must come to an end” as someone once said as I was called into the “Big Boss’s” office and he said, “I hate to do this, but we have to make some budget cuts...so get your stuff and get out of here. We will have a check for you this afternoon!” And just like that, my radio career came to a screeching halt.
But somebody else once said, “when one door closes another one opens” and that’s what happened as the church where I was a member was building a Family Life Center and they were beginning their search for a Director to ride herd on all things scheduled inside. It was my kind of place as it had a full basketball court with a maple wood floor, a commercial kitchen and an equity sized theatrical stage. They wanted someone who liked sports and drama and wasn’t adverse to working long and weird hours. Since I was a speech and drama major in college, with a PE minor and had just finished 26 years of long and weird hours having been in broadcasting, it seemed like the perfect fit. And it was, for almost 17 years. Among other things, I got to run a very successful Upward Basketball League (at one point we had close to 600 kids playing), giving young boys and girls in the first through sixth grades an upbeat and positive place to enjoy playing and learning the game of basketball while also learning about the love of Jesus Christ. It was a great league, lots of fun and a wonderful experience. I also go to work with a lot of volunteers and other groups both inside and outside of the church, helping them plan and implement many different programs and activities.
And then one day, just as had happened with my radio career and the “Big Boss” calling me into his office, the senior pastor at our church (kind of like the big boss I guess) told me that the church was hurting financially as giving was down and that they were going to have to make some budget cuts (where had I heard that before?!?) and my position was being eliminated. So my almost 17 year career as a church recreator came to a screeching halt as well.
At my age, and needing to work for a few more years before retirement, I was able to get on with the local school district, working as an educational assistant. My first year in this position, I worked with special ed kids at our neighboring high school. And just this past school year, I again worked as an EA, but more specifically as a Behavior Redirector at a small elementary school, working with young students, giving them a place to vent and calm down, trying to help keep them pointed in the right direction. It’s been a lot of fun and very rewarding, and if the virus goes away and we can all go back to school, I will again be doing that for another year or two at least.
Speaking of school, I was a three sport letter man in high school and was Student Body President in college where I also lettered in basketball (all four years), volleyball (two years) and a year of freshman baseball. I also appeared in many theatrical productions and have still done a few at church and locally in community theater.
I am happily married to the Lovely Ms. Molony and we have two grown boys who both live here in Albuquerque. At home you will also find three dogs (one that we are raising to be a service dog for Canine Companions for Independence) two cats and five turtles patrolling our back yard.
I collect and like to wear hats (at one time I had close to 1,500), wild and crazy neckties...and I also collect John Wayne memorabilia and items about comedians. I follow and root for the Dodgers and the Angels (I was the public address announcer for them for three spring training seasons when they trained in Palm Springs) and watching movies, especially westerns and classic comedies.
I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior when I was a second grader and have always attended church. I was active at Sandia Presbyterian Church where I was an elder, a member of both the building and the fellowship committees and of course a staff member for almost 17 years. But since I needed to look for a new job I also went looking for a new church too, and just last year I joined St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, a small, very progressive, socially minded and very friendly congregation where I was also able to join the choir since I am no longer having to work long and weird hours.
When I was serving on the church staff, I found CSRM and the yearly conferences to be of great help to me and my ministry. I got to meet many wonderful people and was honored to be asked to serve on the Board of Directors. Unfortunately when my job ended at the church I had to excuse myself from the Board, but being asked to help with some voice work for the CSRM videos and podcasts, was an unexpected pleasure, taking me back to my radio announcing days, and keeping involved with a great group of folks doing wonderful work in the area of Christian Recreation.
Shape Divider - Style triangle