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WOUB Member Spotlight: Brooks Sitterley
< < Back toSitterley has been a WOUB member since 1998
ATHENS, OH – Brooks Sitterley vividly remembers the night he and his late wife, Nancy, first donated to WOUB Public Media.
“A friend of ours was being inaugurated as the president of Marietta College, and we attended the ceremony. On our way home, driving through the hills, WOUB was the only radio station we could get. We enjoyed the jazz music they were playing, and it was a fundraising drive. While we were listening, no one was calling in, and I said to my wife, ‘Why don’t you call them up and give them some money?’ She called, and then the call got disconnected as we went behind a hill,” Sitterley said laughing. “We had to call back three or four times to make the donation.”
But the Sitterleys first donation to WOUB wasn’t their last. Nancy was an Ohio University graduate and felt a connection to WOUB. Sitterley said the radio at their Lancaster farm was always tuned to WOUB.
“WOUB is one of the few stations that had decent music in southeast Ohio. At the time, we listened to the jazz,” said Sitterley. “We found out later that we were the only donation that first night. So, we decided to keep it going. We not only enjoyed the jazz music, but also NPR.”
The Sitterleys lived in both Ohio and Michigan during their 58 years of marriage, before Nancy passed away in 2016. But the couple never let go of the Lancaster farm which had been in their family for more than 200 years.
“Soybeans were planted at the farm this year. The farm has lots of springs running through the property. There are deer living there and a pair of bobcats, which is awesome with Nancy’s connection to Ohio University. I’ve had about every local animal living on the farm.”
Brooks was a radiologist and retired in 2000. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and lives in Ann Arbor most of the time. Sitterley is an avid fan of Wolverine athletics.
“I love living in Michigan. But I also love to come home to the farm in Lancaster. I travel between the two places about twice a month.”
And Sitterley has continued to be a member at WOUB, while also supporting public media in Michigan.
“Public Media is important,” said Sitterley. “NPR and PBS are the only things I listen to. I also enjoy WOUB television. I’m happy to support something I feel is so important.”