Farewell My Friends…

As we bring to a close this final episode of Tevynes Garsai, I want to make just a few personal comments while I have your ear.

First and foremost, I want to thank you for listening. I know I say that nearly every week, and I truly mean it. But today I want to emphasize that without listeners, radio means nothing. You are the reason this show has existed for over 60 years. So, thanks one last time for listening.

I'd also like to thank WJCU, and especially our General Manager, Mark Krieger. John Carroll University Radio has been especially good to the Lithuanian Voice over the years. This has been a great place to broadcast, and the people here are simply the best. I asked Mark to record a short message for you on the occasion of our last show, so let's hear that now.

On behalf of myself, and all of our listeners, I'd like to say a special thank you to Aldona Stempuzis. Aldona has had the unenviable task of not only putting up with me, but also coming up with a plan for a two hour radio show each week for the past 18 years. Neither of those are easy tasks, but I think you'll agree that she's done an outstanding job for far longer than she ever imagined.

Aldona, I can't imagine having taken this radio journey with anyone else. Through thick and thin, we both understood that we were a part of something bigger than any one person, and I'm immensely proud of what we were able to accomplish. No matter what comes along after we sign off today, no one will ever do it the way we did.

Aldona, I know you have some personal projects that have been pushed to the side in favor of the radio program. So I hope you will find the next chapter in her life even more rewarding than the previous ones. And finally Aldona, I want to thank you for all the wonderful meals you've cooked me over the years. I re-acquired my bicycling habit in part to offset the calories contained in all the delicious food you've prepared during our work sessions and air shifts.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank my wife Jean for her patience and understanding these last 18 years. Jean is responsible for connecting me to Aldona, not knowing what a couple hours in Aldona's basement would mushroom into. And the time I've invested in Tevynes Garsai has also been Jean's time in a sense, and I'm fortunate to be married to someone who understands why I do this. Thanks Jean, I'll see you right after the show.

As you may have heard by now, there will be a new Lithuanian program on WJCU, starting at 8:00 am on Sunday, May 23rd. It's gratifying to see that there is both a continuing demand and a supply for radio serving Cleveland Lithuanians. I hope you'll tune in with an open mind on May 23rd, and support the next generation of Lithuanian radio in Cleveland. I'll be helping the new people get started on the right foot with some technical assistance and training, but my main job will be to stay out of their way so they can realize their vision of a new Lithuanian radio program based in Cleveland.

My future plans include more sleep, more time to spend with Jean, and more cycling. I'll still have my hand in some projects here at WJCU, including Making the Case, a half-hour public affairs program I edit that airs each Wednesday afternoon at 12:30, plus the Irish Music Marathon with Uncle Fred every St. Patrick's Day. And I hope you'll still be able to find me behind the mixing board, providing sound reinforcement at Lithuanian events in Cleveland for some time to come.

Before I sign off, I want to make a point about service. I'm aware of the amount of time and energy that Aldona and I have invested in this radio program over the years. I also fully appreciate what this radio show has meant to our listeners, because so many of you have told us as much on a regular basis. And what I'm about to say doesn't diminish either of those facts in the least.

Whatever time and talent I've contributed to this program could never compare with what this program has given back to me. From the pride we feel in putting a quality show on the air each week, to the many friends and acquaintances I've made as a result of my involvement here, to the myriad of opportunities I've had come my way in the Lithuanian community and beyond, Tevynes Garsai has enriched my life as I never could have imagined back in 1992. Doing this show was not always easy, but I've always considered it the best use of my time.

My parents taught me and my sister by their example, that it's not enough to just bring home a paycheck, keep the house clean and mow the lawn. Mom and Dad were always and still are, helping some organization or school or family member or friend of a friend with whatever needs to be done. The lesson I learned early on is that the truly important things in this world happen only when people like you and me get involved and give of themselves without expecting to be compensated.

Service to others is the only way we can directly change the world for the better, and service to others is also how we can change ourselves for the better. So I encourage you to be "selfish" like me, and get involved with something you feel passionate about. You have more time and talent than you think you do, and when you give, you'll get back than you think you will.

And with that, I will climb down off my soapbox and thank you for listening one last time. Until we meet again, I wish you safety and happiness and every other good thing that life has to offer. Atsisveikinu iki kito karto; farewell until next time we see each other. Sudiev.