Close friends pay tribute to Dick Wells on WTBQ

WARWICK — WTBQ radio personality and former Las Vegas professional singer Dick Wells, who passed away in May 2015, was the longtime host of a Saturday morning music show, which also featured conversations with his friends and advertisers about their business, current events and sports.
And each year at this time, Wells hosted a Christmas music show, a tradition which WTBQ (AM 1110/FM 93.5) owner Frank Truatt and Station Manager Taylor Sterling have continued.
This year a special program during the usual time slot of the talk show, "Our Town," was aired on Friday, Dec. 22, and billed as a tribute to Wells.
It featured those same close friends who had appeared with him so often, namely Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton, Leo Kaytes Sr., CEO of Leo Kaytes Ford and Bill Iurato, owner of Peck's Wines and Spirits.
"We gave this one," said Sterling, "to the three men who were best friends with Dick for all those years and who had a special relationship with him. The conversation was a mix of talking about that relationship and their own memories of the past 30 to 40 years."
A highlight of the show was when Iurato, remembering a tradition he and Wells began longer ago than he could remember, dramatically recited the full text of the famous poem by Clement Moore, "A Visit from St. Nicholas,"more commonly known as 'Twas the night before Christmas.
"I walked into the studio, maybe 10 or 15 years ago," said Iurato, "and suggested we read the poem during the Christmas show. He agreed and we did that every year."
- Roger Gavan