Al Caldwell might be the oldest, active, full-time morning man in radio. He is certainly that in Southeast Texas. Friends and colleagues gathered March 10 to celebrate two of his milestones – 60 years of radio at iHeart Media Beaumont and his 87th birthday.
Caldwell arrived in Beaumont literally on his birthday, March 12, 1963, and has become a mainstay. His resume rivals no other.
A member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, Caldwell is also a two-time winner of the prestigious Marconi Award, which is presented annually by the National Association of Broadcasters to the top radio stations and on-air personalities in the United States.
The awards are named in honor of Guglielmo Marconi, the man generally credited as the “father of wireless telegraphy.” Not only has he won two of them, Caldwell has been nominated six times by his peers.
He’s earned critical acclaim for his in-person coverage of the 9-11 memorials and was a guest speaker during the 2006 Pentagon Memorial Special in Washington D.C.
Many may also remember that Caldwell was the color commentator for more than three decades for Lamar University athletics, which has since inducted him into the Lamar Cardinal Hall of Honor.
Caldwell continues to wake up at 3:20 a.m. to prep for his popular morning show on 560 AM KLVI.