Biography

Walter Michael Windsor was born Walter Winkopp on September 22, 1918 in New York City.   He died at 1:19 am on February 29, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia from pneumonia.

True to the pattern that would follow the rest of his life, the circumstances of Walter Windsor's birth were somewhat unusual.  It was a gasless Sunday during World War I.  To preserve gas for the war, the only vehicle permitted to be operated was a hearse, so that was the mode of transportation that conveyed his mother to the hospital. 

His father (referred to by family as “Big Walter”) was a vaudeville performer, a song and dance man.  After one performance, the theater manager said the act was great, but he would never go far with his name.  As he walked out of the theater with his weekly pay in hand, he looked up at the marquee: The Windsor Theater.  From that day forward, the act was known as “Walter Windsor & Company.”  Big Walter was a performer and never got around to a legal name change, but when he became old enough to make it legal, Little Walter or “Junior” had his name officially changed to Walter Michael Windsor. 

His mother, Helen May Catoggio Winkopp, died when he was two, and his father was always on the road performing, so “Junior” grew up living with various family members and friends, in foster homes, or on his own.  As a child, he lived in Brooklyn New York, East New York, Youngstown Ohio, Los Angeles California, Beverly Hills California, and Long Beach California.  Walter was poor BEFORE the Great Depression hit when he was 11 years old, and it is a miracle that he survived the Depression years essentially on his own.

Gifted with a deep speaking and singing voice, Walter Windsor began his career as a radio singer on “Daddy Rango’s Midnight Frolic” on KGER Radio in Long Beach, California in 1935 when he was just 16 years old.  He was then a writer and actor for “Bobby and Betty and Their Magic Boots” on KFOX Radio in Los Angeles.  He wrote jokes for W.C. Fields on the Chase and Sanborn Hour, but he was fired because W.C. Fields was afraid there might be negative publicity if it became known that one of his joke writers was just 16 years young.  It also seems that Mr. Fields resented being coached by a 16-year-old kid on how he might better deliver the lines.  He said: “Sonny boy, I will tell your joke my way, and not only will it get a big laugh, it will be the biggest laugh in the show.”  He did.  It did.  Walter was looking for a new job.  Walter then worked in radio as announcer, actor, writer, journalist, sportscaster, music librarian, musician, and director. 

Walter Windsor was gifted with a genius IQ and special musical abilities.  While he was never given a piano lesson and was never taught to read music, he could play anything on the piano by ear.  He played in various musical groups.

He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California during a period of time in which he was usually living alone with little or no money.  He took out student loans that he was unable to repay prior to graduation, and as a result, he was not given a diploma.  He returned to Long Beach Poly for his 50^th high school reunion; he calculated the interest on the $100 loan, and he presented a check for $1,300 to the principal and received his diploma at the reunion.  While in high school, his friends included future movie stars Robert Mitchum, Barbara Britton, and Laraine Day.

Walter Windsor served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and he worked with the Armed Forces Radio Network.  In that capacity, he spent time with stars such as Bob Hope, Ella Fitzgerald, Glen Miller, and many others.  He was stationed in Camp Upton Long Island New York, San Luis Obispo California, Camp Santa Anita California, Yuma Arizona, San Bernardino California, Fort Ord California, Hollywood California, Ahwaz Iran (where he broadcast play-by-play of basketball and football games among other announcing duties), Carlisle Barracks Pennsylvania, Fort Lee Virginia, and Richmond Virginia.  In 1946, he was involved with a project called the Bedside Network and a product called “Hush-a-Phone” that enabled patients in armed forces hospitals to have a choice of private radio entertainment delivered wirelessly under their pillows.  He entered the Army as a private, was sent to Officer Candidate School, and ended his military career as lieutenant.

Walter Windsor entered radio station management in 1946 and moved to television station management in 1953. His radio career started as a singer on KGER Radio in Long Beach and actor on KFOX in Los Angeles.  While at KFOX Radio in 1936, he was perhaps the first disc jockey to sing along with records on the air, and he was one of the first to ever broadcast high school football games.  He was an announcer from 1938 to 1942 on WTOL in Toledo Ohio, WKBZ in Muskegon Michigan, WOOD in Grand Rapids Michigan, KFDA in Amarillo Texas, WMCA in New York City, WAAT in Jersey City New Jersey, WSGN in Birmingham Alabama, KLO in Ogden Utah, and KALL in Salt Lake City Utah.  After his Army duty, his broadcasting career was as a general manager with WKNB in New Britain-Hartford Connecticut (1946), WDVA in Danville Virginia (1947), and WGBA in Columbus Georgia (1948 to 1953). 

He married Mary Garnett Johnson in 1947.  He saw Mary for the first time when she was sweeping the porch in front of the Burton Hotel in Danville, Virginia, and it was love at first sight.  He was overjoyed when she interviewed for a job at the radio station that he managed.  He convinced her to take the job, and they went out together for 13 consecutive nights.  The next day (October 14, 1947), he proposed at work, and she accepted.  They were married on November 29, 1947.  Mary was the music of his life.  They had four children and a wonderful life.  Mary died tragically of breast cancer on December 23, 1977.

He managed TV stations in several markets, eventually becoming the corporate head for groups of TV and radio stations.  He worked in television in Duluth, Minnesota; Texarkana Arkansas/Texas; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Shreveport, Louisiana; Lubbock, Texas; Big Spring, Texas; Abilene, Texas; Lexington, Kentucky; and Orlando, Florida.

Walter Windsor’s first position in television was as a manger for WFTV in Duluth, Minnesota in 1953. 

He then became general manager of KCMC TV in Texarkana, Texas in 1954.  He left that position for a year to manage KNAC TV in Fort Smith, Arkansas.  He returned to KCMC TV in Texarkana, and managed the station, the move of KCMC to Shreveport Louisiana, and the erection of the tallest tower in the south; the station became KTAL TV in 1961. 

His next position was in Lubbock, Texas where he was Vice-President and General Manager of West Texas Television Network, with KLBK TV in Lubbock, Texas and stations in Abilene and Big Spring.  He became a big supporter of Texas Tech while in Lubbock, and when the university did not have enough funding to send the marching band to the Gator Bowl in 1965, he produced and emceed a Band-A-Thon on TV and raised the money to send the Goin’ Band from Raiderland to the Gator Bowl.  In 1977, while living in Orlando and working on the Tangerine Bowl Committee, he was proud to present the invitation for Texas Tech to play in the Tangerine Bowl.

Walter Windsor moved to Lexington, Kentucky in 1967 where he was Vice-President of Bluegrass Broadcasting responsible for WKYT TV in Lexington as well as radio stations in Louisville Kentucky and Orlando Florida. 

In 1969, he moved to Orlando, Florida as General Manager of WFTV-Channel 9.  He was familiar to viewers from 1969 to 1984 as the editorial spokesman for the station, and he appeared on a regular TV show about the movies called “Filmography.”  He was also well known as the Master of Ceremonies for the PESO TV Auction that raised money for Orlando arts groups for many years.

When WFTV was sold in 1984, he became head of the new owner’s broadcasting division.  He retired from that position in 1986.  He spent several years developing a concept for a new television network while acquiring and managing a group of radio stations in Venice Florida, Inverness Florida, Pine Castle Florida, Huntsville Alabama, Sheffield Alabama, Arab Alabama, Crystal River Florida, Gainesville Florida, and Orlando Florida.  He finally retired after 52 years in the broadcasting business.

Walter Windsor met many radio, television, movie, and music stars throughout his career.  He became close friends with Lawrence Welk.  He introduced the Semonski Sisters, and the girls went on to perform regularly on the Lawrence Welk Show.

Walter Windsor also had a "second career" as an actor and singer in many regional stage productions, both in community and professional theatre. He appeared on stage in many productions of the Orlando Civic Theater and at Theatre-on-Park.  His resume as an actor includes Daddy Warbucks in “Annie,” Matthew Harrison Brady in “Inherit the Wind,” Schultz in “Cabaret,” the Commandant in “Stalag 17,” J.B. Biggley in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” Horace VanderGelder in “Hello Dolly,” Honore in “Gigi,” John Shand in "What Every Woman Knows," Victor Velasco in "Barefoot in the Park," and roles in “Ah! Wilderness,” “The Solid Gold Cadillac,” "The Night of January 16^th," "The Student Prince," "Sweethearts," "Anniversary Waltz," "Only an Orphan Girl," and many others.

Walter Windsor is the leading authority in the world on American popular music written between 1920 and 1960.  His web site, www.SongDex.net, is the result of years of work.  It started out as a cataloguing system for his extensive collections of recordings and sheet music, amassed in his 52 years in broadcasting.  When he failed to find a comprehensive source for song information, he began collecting information on standard popular music from every source obtainable.  The information organized in SongDex required the use of more than 100 different books on the subject and many years in research, collating, and annotating the information. 

Walter was a huge football fan.  He predicted the outcome of every college football game for the last 40 years and has a lifetime percentage of between 70% and 80%.

Walter M. Windsor was a member of National Academy of Popular Music, the Big Band Academy of America, the New York Sheet Music Society, the National Sheet Music Society, Remember That Song, and the International Sinatra Society.  During his broadcasting career, he was a Chairman of the Arbitron Rating Council, a Board Member of the National Association of Broadcasters, an Affiliate Board Member of ABC Television Network, a member of the Orlando Advertising Federation, a member of Broadcast Pioneers and founding member of the Florida Chapter of the Broadcast Pioneers.  He was awarded the Abe Lincoln Award from the Southern Baptist Convention for exceptional achievement as a broadcaster and citizen.  He was involved in a number of civic organizations, including Optimist Club and the American Cancer Society.  He was President of Central Florida Civic Theatre, and he was very active for many years with the Tangerine Bowl Committee.

Walter Michael Windsor is survived by:

Four children – William Michael Windsor of Atlanta, Georgia; Anthony Beck Windsor of Dacula, Georgia; Wendy Windsor Harper of Orlando, Florida; and Marty Windsor of Longwood, Florida.

Six grandchildren – Brittany Windsor Harrell of Smyrna, Georgia; Ryan Michael Windsor of Austin, Texas; Nicholas Harper of Orlando, Florida; Stephanie Shultz of Longwood, Florida; Chip Harper of Orlando, Florida; Amber Harper Maroon of Orlando, Florida.

Five great-grandchildren – Madison Leigh Harrell of Smyrna, Georgia; Brianna Harper of Orlando, Florida; Kaylyn Harper of Orlando, Florida; Kurt Harper of Orlando, Florida; Myles Maroon of Orlando, Florida.

Brother, Howard Garland Sartin of Banning, California.

Daughter-In-Law Barbara Gray Windsor of Atlanta, Georgia; and Son-In-Law Harvey Harper of Orlando, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those interested make donations in the name of Mary Johnson Windsor to the American Cancer Society -- https://www.cancer.org/docroot/DON/DON_1_Donate_Online_Now_Auto_Custom.asp?don_promo=WebMem or the Susan G. Komen Foundation -- http://cms.komen.org/komen/Donations/index.htm.