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Y! MyWebAir show announcer on the job, overcoming family deaths
Saturday, July 19, 2008
DAYTON — Rob Reider, an award-winning announcer and a mainstay at the Vectren Dayton Air Show for 25 years, was on the job as the 2008 air show opened Saturday, July 19, despite yet another tragic death in his immediate family.
Reider's daughter, Katie, died on Monday of this week after a battle with cancer. Last August, Reider's wife of 36 years, Gaile, died of cancer, three weeks after the 2007 Vectren Dayton Air Show at which her husband handled the staff announcing duties.
"He said he needed to be here. This is like his family," Brenda Kerfoot, the Dayton air show's general manager, said Saturday. "We left it up to him. It was his call."
Rob Reider had a full day of announcing duties Saturday and was unavailable for an interview, Kerfoot said.
Reider and the Dayton show's other staff announcer, Danny Clisham, are familiar faces on the public-address circuit for air shows around the country. Both have received Sword of Excellence awards from the International Council of Air Shows, given in honor of outstanding service and personal contribution to the air show industry. People must be nominated in order to be considered for the awards.
"They are truly the cream of the crop," Kerfoot said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.
