AL June 30
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Al
For about two years just about every time I drive on Khan Drive in Lumberton NC I think about the guy the street is named after. I wondered if he was still with us and did he still live in Lumberton. His name is AL Khan.
AL Khan
I remember AL as a man with an extremely quick wit.
I also remember reading a Robesonian article on some audio tapes AL did on a “Who’s Who” of Robeson County. The list included Bob Fisher, David Weinstein, and Michael Cummings to name a few.
On Thursday June 20th I got the answer to both of my questions when I had a conversation with him in a grocery store, are you ready ……………. in the Food Lion on Khan Drive. We were standing at the deli counter and I introduced myself and he immediately started hitting me with back to back one liners. Yes Lumberton AL Khan is still here.
I don’t have the complete bio or life history on AL Khan but I know when I was the head basketball coach at UNC Pembroke in the 1980’s AL would interview me for the radio station he owned. You see AL was at heart a radio guy.
AL Kahn bought WAGR in January 1957, 27 months after the station signed on, and then signed a second station on called WJSK in 1964. Today after a number of changes the original WJSK is now 102.3 FM WFVL a K-LOVE Contemporary Christian Station.
WAGR and WJSK were both run by AL up until 1992. WJSK was named after AL’S two sons Jeff and Steve Khan. The stations only broadcasts Lumberton HS Football Games from 1957 to 1992. I am quite sure John Rancke listened to more than one.
I do recall that AL was the public information officer for the Public School of Robeson County (PSRC) for quite a while. I can remember him working in 2009 for Superintendent Dr. Johnny Hunt.
Ironically after the two hurricanes hit Lumberton NC in 2016-2018 the PSRC offices are now on Khan Drive.
As I left Al at the deli counter I told him thank you for all that he did for Lumberton. AM radio was an important part of many small towns in the 20th century and AL and WAGR made there mark in Lumberton NC. Glad he let me “Call him AL”
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