by Adam Ruschival
Andrew (Andy) Chappell died Friday, February 23, 2001 from complications which developed during a hospital stay. He was 71 years old, but many of us who knew him thought of him as being younger.
Andy and his family were active with his Presbyterian church. At his funeral, his minister spoke of Andy with personal knowledge. Talking book narrator Mitzi Friedlander read the hymn, “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” An excerpt from the recorded format of the March 1980 issue of “Guideposts” magazine was played, describing the founding of this religious publication for the blind. A memorial luncheon followed the service.
Andrew Chappell was born and raised in Orange, N.J. He was a veteran of the Korean War, and was stationed for a time at Fort Knox. In the 1950s and 1960s he worked at WAVE AM 970 radio and WAVE TV channel 3 (Louisville) as a news broadcaster, a weatherman and a “disc jockey” for easy listening music. Andy became a real estate agent in the 1970s, working first with Gibson-Phanaschmidt and then with RE/Max in the 1980s until his death. He was my realtor when I purchased a house in 1988, and he helped several other blind people to buy homes as well.
Then, of course, there was his voice! Andy Chappell recorded talking books at the American Printing House for the Blind for 42 years. During that time, he narrated 572 books and many magazines. He may be best known for his recording of “Guideposts” magazine which he narrated for years.
Andy spent much of his non-professional time doing things with and for blind people. He was a volunteer narrator for the Audio Studio for the Reading Impaired, an independent non-profit agency in Anchorage (a suburb of Louisville). As a charter member and past president of the Louisville East Lions Club, Andy really became active with blind people. His Lions Club has several blind members. Through fund-raising and social activities, Andy got to know about many blind people and their connections with the Kentucky School for the Blind, the KSB Alumni Association, the Kentucky Department for the Blind, and the Kentucky Council of the Blind. He had the heart of a lion.
At last year’s ACB convention here in Louisville, Andy volunteered much time as a guide. Some of you may have been surprised to hear his voice and realize that your volunteer was a well-known talking book narrator.
Andy had a great sense of humor. While working at WAVE-TV, he once went through the newsroom cutting off the ties of the local TV personalities. One had to go on the air sans tie. On another occasion in those days of live television, revenge was gotten when someone glued a bottle of beer to a table prior to a live commercial where Andy was supposed to take a swig of the brew and proclaim its virtues.
At the annual Lions Club bean soup suppers held at the Kentucky School for the Blind to raise money, Andy would dress up in yellow tights and wear a large yellow box with ribbons around his upper body. He would walk around the cafeteria full of diners as “Mr. Cornbread Man.” At the annual Lions yard sale, Andy would put on some of the displayed clothing in unusual ways to get laughs and sales.
Andy used to love to impose his liking for classical music and opera on his neighbors. While washing his car, he would open all the windows and crank up his car radio tuned to the FM opera of the week.
Andy Chappell may be missed on an international level as a wonderful talking book narrator, but his death will also be a loss to those of us who knew him as a friend.