Chester Lee Phillips

Chester Lee Phillips, known professionally in broadcasting as Lee Phillips died on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 under the loving care of his wife and Hospice of Citrus County. He was born in Akron, Ohio on December 7, 1919 to Thomas Archer Phillips of West Virginia and Annice Rosetta Nutter of Nutters Fork, West Virginia. He attended grade school at David Hill, Junior High School at Goodrich Junior High and graduated from high school at Akron East, June 1938. Lee entered broadcasting at WJW then in Akron, Ohio and from there moved to WADC Akron, then in 1941 to WCAE Pittsburgh, PA. All of these stations, he was employed as a staff anouncer. He began his first of many network appearances in Pittsburgh announcing late night band remotes with top orchestras, handled broadcasts from the studio and was used as a news correspondent on Headline Editions. At Pittsburgh, he married Margaret Beair of Akron and in the spring of 1943, she gave birth to Sandra a daughter and a year after the war, she gave birth again, to Michael Thomas both at Pittsburgh's Shadyside Hospital.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corp in March of 1942 in Pittsburgh, received basic training and uniforms at Fort Meade, Maryland, then returned to the AF recruiting station in Pittsburgh, where he worked at the Aviation Cadet recruting station and continued to work the night shift at WCAE. He was ordered to report for aviation evaluation and service in March 1943, reporting first to Maxwell Field, Alabama, then to Carlstrom field in Florida, Greenwood, Miss and gradutated as pilot in twin engined aircraft January 1944. After three months at Randolph Field, Texas he returned to teach flying until he went to the South Pacific in December of 1944. He was a flight and squadron leader and checkout pilot for the 345th Bomb Group, Air Apaches and was honored with the Distinguished Flying Cross twice, Air Medal with clusters while flying against the Japanese on China, Okinawa and Japan. He retired as a Major from the Air Force in 1970.

Returning to broadcasting in Pittsburgh, he was announcer and station manager at WCAE and WKJF and program director at WTAX in Springfield, Illinois. While in Pittsburgh, he originated an FM network and broadcast the Pittsburgh Symphoney summer season with guest conductor Victor DeSabata of Milan. In 1949, he moved his family to Miami, Florida where he worked in radio as disk jockey, station manager of WTTT, News Director and Anchorman for WKAT-Mutual Miami Beach and WINZ clear channel. While in radio he worked as announcer on the Gabriel Heatter new program, Walter Winchell and covered national stories for the ABC radio network and as a special correspondent for ABC and Mutual networks. He was employed to introduce all the Governors and their wives at their convention, including then Vice President Johnson and Nelson and Happy Rockerfeller. While his first work on television was on WDTV, Dumont in Pittsburgh, he became occupied full time on WTVJ Miami until he resigned his position as Program Director to become VP of a company applying for channel 7 Miami. He returned to TV as a national sales manager and talent, locally and then with all networks. Among his TV appearances were 13 weeks on ABC as color announcer for 'Going Places' with Merv Griffin, 'All Star Jazz' on all three networks, the 'Ted Mack Show', 'The Winchell-Mahoney Show', 'Super Circus' with Jerry Calonna and Sandy Wirth and broadcast the Orange Bowl Parade for CBS in 1953. Included in his background was his appearance with Chuck Connors in the original MGM movie 'Flipper' and several TV episodes of 'Flipper' and worked as an actor on the 'Everglades' series. He was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, American Guild of Variety Artists and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

He moved from News Director of Channel 6 Miami to WBBH in Fort Myers in 1970, where he made that station #1 in news, then worked for a short time at WINK-TV and WEVU-TV as News Director and Anchor Man, until he retired in 1977. In 1991, he married his present wife, Lois Bachus and spent his time between North Carolina in the summer and their winter home in Hernando, Florida.

Mr. Phillips was preceded in death by his son, Michael Thomas Phillips and brothers, Glenn, Russell and Paul Phillips.

Survivors include his wife of 19 years, Lois Phillips of Hernando, Florida; stepson, Scott Bachus of Bryson City, North Carolina; daughters, Sandra McQuinn and husband Bill of Ft. Myers, Florida and stepdaughter, Diane Overstreet and husband John of Commerce City, Colorado; brother, Al Phillips of Mt. Prospect, Illinois; grandchildren, Michael McQuinn, Dina Jackson, Ronnie McQuinn, Noell Overstreet and Anneliese Overstreet and eight great grandchildren.

Visitation will take place on Monday, October 25, 2010 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM with a church service following at the Church of the Nazarene, 2101 North Florida Avenue, Hernando, Florida 34442. Interment with Military Honors at Florida National Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Citrus County, P.O. Box 641270, Beverly Hills, Florida 34464.

Arrangements entrusted to Fero Funeral Home

www.ferofuneralhome.com