I arrived in Cincinnati in the Summer of 1968, attended the College-Con of Music and taught for that academic year. I loved listening to the golden voice of OT on WNOP, Radio Free Newport, with about 1000 watts of booming power. It would drift in and out of my 68 VW's radio, but it was the first time I'd ever lived anywhere with a real jazz station. It's one of my fondest memories of Cincinnati. -- Bill Strickland

I started listening to WVXU when Oscar Treadwell came back with his radio show. I met Oscar at a poetry gathering and we started talking jazz--I was delighted to meet someone as passionate about jazz as I am. He eventually became a part of our poetry group but often we'd share some jazz news, too. I was in a phase of writing jazz poems then and enjoyed his input about those. Then he revived his radio show there and read a few of ours on the air--two of mine.

The day he died, we were expecting him to show up--he rarely missed a meeting. I have written this poem about Oscar and thought, with his tribute tonight, there might be some place for it but maybe not. This Thursday is our shared birthday--his 80th and my 51st. -- Barbara Bonney

Overlapped
for Oscar Treadwell

The calendar's square day is blank for now, ready for my cake, candles
and chocolaty time off work.
He would be 80 in that same square,

our lives overlapped in time.
For three years we pored over words in tight rows, dancing stanzas and
erotic rhythms-

words that bumped over politics and pain.
We wrestled titles and opinions
but returned every two weeks for more.

Our pulses both fluttered to Coltrane and Miles, music to mend wounds
or to rip them wide again just like words.

There was never chocolate cake or candles between us so the warm
muffins in November and rhubarb pie one April will have to do this
birthday.

He writes poetry now with invisible ink, fills his days and months
with 12 bar riffs for an eternity of blank calendars.

In 1974 my car was broken into and one of the items stolen was an OT Profile of John Mayall. I wrote to OT and asked if he would be repeating the profile so I could record it again. Three days later my phone rang and there was no doubt about who was on the other end. OT asked me to bring two cassettes to WGUC and he used his reel to reel original and put the profile on these cattettes for me. I never met him but never forgot this kindness. I will try to be better at passing it along. -- Ray Dankel

O.T. introduced me to Miles Davis and Charlie Parker and made jazz less stuffy and very hip. The city will certainly miss him! God bless. -- Stephen Pedicone

Let me be the millionth person or so to say how much we'll all miss OT. I started listening to him in the 60s at 'NOP and stayed with him all thru the years. He was a Cincinnati treasure. I travel a good deal and there was no one quite as good as OT on the Jazz DJ scene in any city. -- Jim Rowland

Like many others who have posted their tributes here, I, too, grew up in the 70's listening late night to OT on "The Eclectic Stop Sign". It was, truly, a magical and rare experience and I count it as one of the most soulful and educational of my life. There was nowhere else in the world you could hear such stories or gain such insight to this amazing music. Books couldn't convey it. It was Oscar's experience, and the beauty of it was that he loved the music so much he couldn't help but share it.

For me Oscar Treadwell was a Jazz Shaman, not figuratively, literally. I feel fortunate and grateful to have experienced him. "Sweet Love", OT. -- Bruce Rich

I first met OT in the early 1970's when he was master of ceremonies for a Young/Holt Unlimited jazz concert at Thomas More College where I was attending. I had only listened to him on the radio so did not recognize him. I sat with him before the concert started and told him how disappointed I was at the sparse crowd since I helped put this on. He never let on until he was introduced, and then winked at me. My late father became personal friends with him and taped a few programs for him in the 80's. He was a class act and his programs have been loved in the Sandberg home since I was a young boy. He will be missed, and I hope he and my dad are talking jazz up in heaven. -- Stephen Sandberg

I remember OT having his PBS show at around the same time as Gerry Galvin did, on WAIF. These are my two favorite radio personalities; not because of their formats necessarily, but because I was able to learn something about myself, as a confused adolescent. -- Reuven Lewis

In 1973 I was in my junior year of high school and (although I may not have known it at the time) was looking for a musical experience richer that what was being offered on most rock-n-roll stations. I stumbled on OT's show one midnight and got completely hooked. Not only did I find a rich vein of music and American culture, I found a knowledgeable, soulful, and passionate guide to the new world. Even now, I cannot overstate the importance of OT's role in setting my life down a path of enlightenment and showing me part of life's richness.

I realize these are pretty personal sentiments, but OT had a way of making every listener feel that he was speaking directly to them. There are people who we all feel that we wish we could have had more of in our lives -- OT is one of those people for me.

His spirit soars. -- Scott B.

I grew up in Cincinnati in the '70s. My father introduced me to jazz via his vinyl collection. I would spin Gillespie and Brubeck and Miles Davis in the afternoons. But, it was when I went to college in the '80s, up late at night, that I tuned into O.T., midnights on WGUC.

What can I say? O.T. was like a jazz father to me: he took a foundation from my youth and through the years built up an incredible love for this wonderful art form. I couldn't live without jazz -- and I owe it all to Oska T.

I sing a song of sadness. O.T. you will be missed! -- F.B. Muller

As a fairly new transplant to the Cincinnati area, I took comfort of indulging in Mr. OT's world, where he taught and treated me with his love of Jazz. He brought joy, wisdom and peace to my usual late Sunday night… be it a late night alone at home or a late trip home from Sunday catch-up work. Mr. OT, you are and always will be dearly missed. -- Grace Demers

Oscar wrote this poem as a member of the GCWL poetry group. -- Sue Howard, Greater Cincinnati Writers League

TSUNAMI AFTERMATH
Oscar Treadwell

Tide returns unconcerned
and gently laps the shore,

Sea foam gurgles on the sand
as always and before,

Unaware its mass and power
had crippled life and limbs,

Neutralizing all defenses,
enobling hope, then dims

As bodies torn, lie bloating
in the rubble of despair,

Mother screaming for her baby
searches everywhere,

Insane confusion, eyes are wild,
tsunami claims another child.

Another of Oscar's poems...

BUG
Oscar Treadwell

Crossing the ceiling sea,
a speck, no more,
but holds my gaze

Dawn illuminates his trespass.

Who owns that endless maze,
him or me?

His by possession,
or mine by right of plunder and purchase?

Nearly imperceptible meandering
with curlicues and hesitation
he ponders,
a search for niche or bower?

But I must rise and shave and shower,
so make up your mind and find your way!

When I return,
I'll not look up to note your progress,
fearing that your bold transgression,

has left you there, vulnerable.

Many years ago, before websites and program listings, I heard a tune on Oscar's show on WGUC-FM, but missed the title. Later, I called the station to try to identify the music, but they told me Oscar had gone home. "But he won't mind if you call him at home," I was told. When I called him at home, he'd just stepped out of the shower, but took his time in his warm way to talk to me about the song. I was flabbergasted! -- Jeff Horwitz

A class act and a true American treasure. His life was a jazz portrait of wisdom, humor and gentility. -- Jay Wilson

I have a desktop alarm that reminds me of Oscar's show. This is what it says: "Sunday nights 9-11 P.M. - the host is Oscar Treadwell, who goes back to the forties - he was so popular that both Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie composed tunes in his honor - I doubt that there's a better jazz program anywhere in the world." -- Brad Collins

I remember many late nights listening to OT on WGUC, wishing his unique and insightful presentation of jazz would run all night. I really missed his shows when he "retired." Later, when he came back on WVXU, it was so refreshing to hear his informed commentary again, revealing his depth of knowledge of the music and the musicians. I was truly saddened to hear of OT's passing, but he will live on through the people he touched and the shows he recorded. Thanks, OT for all you've done to bring jazz to us in a way no one else could. -- Bruce Lott

Oscar will be sorely missed. What a grand personality in the jazz world. His marvelous radio voice and radio program were truly a treat. -- Chris Paul, Cincinnati Caledonian Pipes and Drums

I met Oscar at the Mercantile Library during a book discussion. Upon being introduced to him I remarked that it was a famous name, not realizing he was the "famous" person. He subsequently led a book discussion and delved into the subject and author with insight and enthusiasm. He researched everything that was unfamiliar regardless of how obscure. I admired his intelligence and tenacity. -- Joan Madeja

I got to meet Oscar three or four times in the early 1990s, when I was living and working at a radio station in Columbus but diligently keeping up a "short" long-distance romance with a woman who also worked in radio but did so in Cincinnati. In those meetings, Oscar and I barely talked about jazz, concentrating instead on literature, baseball, and the vagaries of broadcasting.

I did get to tell him how much he inspired my own approach to doing radio. In my early broadcasting days, in Dayton in the mid-1980s, I used to listen to Oscar's program faithfully. What I particularly admired was OT's ability to address a listener's intelligence without ever sounding the least bit stuffy, preachy, or condescending. It's the same approach I've worked hard to develop in the 20 years-plus I've been doing radio.

Wherever Oscar is now, I hope they read good poetry there and keep a huge record collection that will always be at his disposal. -- Larry Kensington, WDPR (Dayton Public Radio)

Oscar was a constant night time companion during the nine years I lived in Cincinnati. When I left in 1984 I truly felt a void in my life. I really missed hearing Oscar. And when streaming began on the Internet I began searching for him. I was overjoyed when, as a subscriber to WGUC, I found out that he was returning to WVXU and that I could again hear him. As far as I could tell he still had his chops. I will miss him. But I'm glad that he has programs in the can and that his archive will be repeated.

"Sweet Love" to Oscar wherever he may be. -- Douglas Pearson

When I came to town in the 60's, I would listen to Radio Free Newport (WNOP). Learned a lot about jazz and the city from Oscar. Used to go up to Herbie's at Taft & Hackberry & saw Oscar there a few times. I just remember the voice. He will be missed. -- Skip Faulkner

Oscar was a man who made a huge impression on me in 1968. He would come to the record dept of Swallen's on Red Bank and pick up 8 or 10 new albums of Jazz. He always mentioned the store on his show. He taught a class at Thomas More on Jazz, and he invited me to sit in on the class. He would play cuts from records and then what we had just heard and throw in the life history of the musicians on the cut. Most of which he new personally. I always wanted to thank him for his kindness. He was as "COOL" as his voice. A friend. -- John Bowling

I first heard "An Oscar For Treadwell" in my hometown of Liverpool (England) back in the early sixties on a tiny, portable single-player turntable. Imagine my surprise and delight when I encountered the man behind the title when I moved to Cincinnati 15 years later. Although I never met Oscar, I regard him as an old friend. Thank you Oscar for all the joy you gave me and my family. We love you and will never forget you. -- John McEvoy

I am one of those listeners who switches back and forth between WVXU and WGUC, depending on whether I'm in the mood for talk or music. Because "music" for me usually means classical, I had never heard of Oscar Treadwell until spots for "Jazz with OT" began showing up during Morning Edition last year. Man! (as Charlie Parker might have said). OT's voice could turn talk into music! -- NCT Harward

I had the pleasure of knowing Oscar first as Art Pederson, Mechanical Supply Co. Rep as he supplied our Buschman Conveyor Co. plant with materials. Usually over the years when he was sitting in our lobby, I would occasionally hear that very familiar voice talking to someone there in the lobby. I would think he sounds like the announcer that did voiceovers for the Cincinnati Symphony and he also looks like the photo of the Jazz DJ known as Oscar Treadwell. I finally asked the receptionist if this "salesman" appeared on radio. She said yes, she knew that there was connection, but she know him as Art Pederson. Finally I introduced myself to him and told him how I enjoyed his narrations about the symphony and how I had heard his jazz show going back to WZIP. I love jazz but not to a real extreme. However I would listen to the various WVXU jazz shows from Xavier. I often thought that once I heard about the dual life of Art/Oscar I would like to do a story on in the Buschman newsletter, which I edited. So one day I sat down with him and got all of the story straight and he posed for a picture leaning against his Caddy (license OSKA T) carrying old studio microphones and cutting blades that he sold to us. I enjoyed the reminiscences with him. -- Jim Sicking

The Eclectic Stop Sign. Way back in '71 at Miami U on Friday nights. This was so cool. Flibbedy jib. Ken Nordine, all those increadible sax players, the first time I heard Keith Jarrett from "Facing You," which he'd later play on his recent show. Poetry. Read aloud. Much different than when read to oneself. Especially when it was his voice. I went to see McCoy Tyner at a club in Cinci and heard his voice: "Ah, it's going to be a beautiful night." I felt so validated, strange as it may seem, but I was 18 and just starting my venture into jazz. But on this night, I knew that I was headed in the right direction and he pointed the way. I was thrilled to find OT being broadcast here. What a voice. I never met him. But he was a huge influence. I'll always hear his voice. -- Jeff Day

Oscar was and is "Nobody's" Friend. As long as the media broadcasts his programs, he will continue to make millions of us "nobodies" feel like someone special with his intimate one-on-one conversation, poetry and music! Long live Arthur Pedersen as "OT," Nobody’s and Everybody’s Friend! -- Jim Haas

As an aspiring musician at Anderson High School, my friends and I were introduced to OT and WNOP by our high school band director, Dave Martin. We listened avidly to his great voice, eclectic format, and terrific selection of the best in jazz. After discovering that one of our classmates was OT's daughter, we made a contact that would result in a very memorable experience. OT was kind enough to listen to one of our recordings - "Take Five" - and actually played it on the air. I distinctly remember waiting with great anticipation for his kind introduction to our inexperienced but enthusiastic take on this classic tune. I have always held a special place for OT in my heart since and extend my appreciation for the encouragement he gave us that evening! -- Vince Rahnfeld

OT, Mr. Treadwell, had such a rich and distinct voice. He had a very smooth and refined way of hosting Jazz with OT. I felt relaxed and calm just hearing his voice. I never spoke with him personally yet I believe that he would have been easy to talk to. Mr. Treadwell will be missed by many. I pray that his family finds comfort in knowing that others share their loss and are thinking of them and praying for them. I hope that they keep in mind that "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." -- Sissy Davidson-Baker

It's always difficult to lose people who have been in your life for a long time. I began listening to Oscar Treadwell when I lived in the Philadelphia area, and we both moved out to Cincinnati around the same time, so I was able to continue to tune him in.

With the loss of OT and (fairly recently) Frank Powers, a huge source of jazz knowledge is no longer available.

Thanks for the memories. -- Phil Murphy

For years, I fell asleep listening to Jazz with O.T. playing on my bedroom stereo, when the program aired ‘round midnight on WGUC. At first, I was a little irritated that the station was interrupting the classical music for jazz music, which I knew nothing about, but O.T. soon converted me, with his encyclopedic knowledge, interesting anecdotes, and unbelievably great radio voice, not to mention the fascinating music that he introduced me to. I’ve bought a lot of records and CD’s over the years based on O.T’s program, and now my iPod is full of jazz classics, thanks to O.T.

I was very excited when he decided to “un-retire,” and I’ve listened to every program, whether on the radio or off the computer. I even wrote an e-mail to that affect to WVXU, which was in turn forwarded to O.T., who was nice enough to call me and thank me personally for my sentiments. He was truly a jazz treasure, not to mention a very kind man, and I miss him already. -- Troy Mastern

A friend of mine worked in the media department of the Cincinnati Public Library a few years back, and I remember that OT donated his entire Jazz collection of CD's to the Public Library. -- Kimberlee Gamm

It was my privilege to produce several radio spots with Oscar for both the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Ballet. He was a consummate professional and gentleman, always eager to lend his time and talent to the arts. Not only was his voice extraordinary and perfect for these arts spots, he was a one-take wonder. I think of Oscar as O.T.O.T...one-take Oscar Treadwell. -- John Zurich, ZQI Inc.

Oscar Treadwell shared with us his deep love of jazz and poetry. It was an interesting mix, revealing his extraordinary intellect and breadth. His voice was melodic as was his spirit. He carried us with him on his journeys to jazz masters of the past and future... helping make their art accessible. He charmed us, and I am sure that where his spirit lives now, he will be charming others for eternity. -- Janet Metzelaar

I recently moved back to Cincy after an 8 yr absence just in time for OT to join WVXU. I listened to him religiously on Sundays. I cried at the news of his passing. He rocked as far as I'm concerned, though be-bopped may be more appropriate in jazz lingo. -- Scott Proctor

This is such a sad loss.

OT was a guiding light for me back in the '70s, when I knew I was disinterested in what I was hearing on the commercial stations. A friend turned me on to WNOP, and then I found OT on WGUC late one night. What a revelation! Music of intelligence, clarity, and creativity with a host possessing the same attributes.

I continued to listen all through college and on into adulthood. When I'd spend weekend days with my fiancée, Vickie, at Mount St. Joseph, OT was company on the drive home to Anderson Township. (Actually, his sign off was my cue to observe her dorm's curfew.)If I got home before sign-off, I'd sit in my car until the show finished.

So many wonderful memories, but one in particular: The night he did a show devoted to the song "Georgia on My Mind." He started with the gold standard, Ray Charles, and for the next hour played variations on a theme with unbelievable variety.

Such a voice. Such wit. Such taste. Such knowledge. And the soul of a poet to equal any whose works he read on air.

There's not a broadcaster alive who can touch him. I am sadder for his passing. I am only glad that my son, Ian, got to hear him.

Cincinnati just became a less hip, less classy place. Sweet love, OT. -- Jack W. McKee

A true loss to music and the passing of an era of folks who knew the greats of jazz. -- Susan Swartz

The eyes are the windows to your soul and Oscar's jazz knowledge was the window to his heart. Thanks for sharing your heart with us. -- Nate Henderson, Jazz Alive

I fell under OT’s spell nearly 40 years ago, when he was working his jazz-and-poetry magic Sunday afternoons on WNOP, and I, age 13, wrote to him from Mack, Ohio, asking “What is haiku?” because he had read some. He responded by sending me a slim hardbound volume. But of course it was his voice itself, not the poetry he read, that really enchanted me. And the music he played shaped my taste and formed the core of my record library.

I want to listen to Ramsey Lewis’s version of “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” over and over. Or his more recent signoff, that odd little trumpet thing that sounds like a straggler at the end of a jazz funeral parade. But I don’t have those at hand, so I guess I’ll cue up Fred Hersch playing Johnny Mandel’s “I Never Told You.” -- Anne Montague

1973 and I'm on the FM dial, Full Moon Radio late at night, following Oscar's Eclectic Stop Signe on WGUC. Ahhh, it doesn't get any better than that. The thing is, I was following a 10" reel of tape playing OT's show....but the listening public didn't have to know that. I was following O.T., dammit! Years had gone by before we actually met and became friends. Later I was absolutely thrilled, working at the 'ol Smooth Jazz station, The WAVE, when I talked the G.M. into putting Oscar's show on the station after the old regime at 'VXU let him go. Actually working ON Oscar's show then, getting it ready, producing promos for it & all. I always held him in the highest regard not only for his art but for the person he was ...the GENTLEMAN he was. Anyone who'd come in contact with him would back me, too... (Look up “gentleman” in Webster's -i there, my friend, was O.T.'s picture.) And, most recently when we acquired WVXU my bosses Rich & Robin had the good sense to give Oscar a call and get him back to where he belonged. Out of retirement & back on the radio. And we were blessed because of it. And he loved it....it was obvious. I'm so glad I told him how I felt about him while he was up and at it.

One of the first things I did when I got an iPod: load up 10 or 12 hours of Sweet Love and head out for a camping weekend....O.T....around the fire, under the stars, in the woods....that voice reading poetry...didn't matter...Shakespeare, e.e. cummings or a poet you'd never heard of....the voice....that warm & honest smile comin' through.....oh, and Miles, Louis, Jimi, the Airplane, Charlie Christian, Keith Jarrett...his music that he gave to all of us (literally - see Hamilton Co. Public Library).

My man, I love you ~O'D.

P.S. Did you notice at the very end of his obituary in the paper....and this is truly Oscar: "In his memory, show kindness to someone in need." Says it all. -- Brian O'Donnell, WGUC Morning Host

To his fans and listeners, Oscar was a jazz legend - a radio icon. But, the Oscar I knew was much more –- he was a caring, loving person who always had a smile and was always happy to see you. He’d stop by WGUC to bring in the tapes of weekly show and walk through the halls saying hello to everyone. Some weeks he’d bring Esther Price candy along with tapes. You could just feel the joy when Oscar walked through the door. It changed the atmosphere of the entire station for the rest of the day.

When "Jazz with OT" moved from WGUC to WVXU, the hardest part was not having Oscar stopping by to see us anymore. We reconnected in 2000 during WGUC’s 40th Anniversary celebration -– it was so good to have this consummate gentleman in our midst once again.

Last summer, when Oscar agreed to come out of retirement and host Jazz with OT on WVXU, I called him to talk about the announcement. “How are you Oscar?” I asked and he answered with his trademark response, as happily as I had ever heard it, “Fine, Fine, Super Fine.” I could feel his excitement coming through the phone as we talked about the program and his career.

This past Sunday evening, I was listening to the rebroadcast of Lee Hay’s interview with Oscar from last August. She asked him the same question and out of my radio came “Fine, Fine, Super Fine,” in his beautiful voice. It broke my heart. -- Chris Phelps, Cincinnati Public Radio Vice President of Marketing

I did a poetry reading with Oscar at the Mercantile Library last January, and it was the first time I'd seen him in years. He hadn't changed an iota. He was as tall as Abe Lincoln, well formed, and graceful in action and speech. He read perfectly. He didn't fluff any words. When I read this weekend that he was 79, I was shocked. Nothing about him suggested that he was advanced in age. Maybe music kept him youthful. I remember when I sang at the Dee Felice Cafe, we would spend our breaks in the car listening to his music, the wild cry of the jazz he played -- some of it accessible, some not. He was ours, we thought, and we were definitely his. -- Katie Laur, WNKU/Citybeat

It's an unlikely memory from my irresponsible days of youth: driving on a warm summer night with a friend in his giant rattletrap of a Ford, windows down to the night air--maybe because he had no air conditioner; that part I don't remember--and listening quietly to Jazz With OT. At 19, I found something both soothing and inspiring in listening to jazz, but OT elevated the experience to something even more sublime. I felt like he was sharing more than the secrets of the music, but maybe the key to the universe. That sounds overblown and exaggerated, but I assure you it's true. Forever after, Jazz with OT called to mind that particular time in my life--where you're not quite an adult, where you're waiting for something to happen, where the night is warm enough to go barefoot and life's possibilities are endless. Oscar Treadwell's music was our soundtrack, and his voice was, too. I remember specifically him introducing a jazz release from Bill Cosby (perhaps that release is better forgotten) and going on at length about how he could sense Cosby's warmth as a person. I never met Oscar Treadwell, but I felt the same way about him. -- Mary T. Helmes Sheely, former WVXU host

Even though I wasn't able to listen to his programs very often as a jazz lover, I was comforted to know that Oscar Treadwell was there to keep jazz alive in Cincinnati.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting OT on more than one occasion. I can only say that what he said to me will stay with me as long as I live and certainly as long as I ever host a radio program. My questions was this "OT, what or how do you make the programs that you do so interesting?" His response was "to bring a real life experience to the story, and that is what people can relate to". Thanks OT. I will hold that in my heart forever. The Queen City and jazz world will always miss ya. -- Tom Sweeney, "Golden Road", 89.7FM WNKU

I first remember Oscar well on WNOP when I first came to Cincinnati (and the USA). I recently heard his erudite commentary and selection of music at the Institute of Learning in Retirement and on WVXU. He was as astute as ever. I mourn his passing. He will be a great loss. -- Richard Dyson

When Oscar was on WGUC in the 90's he would drop by the station frequently. And when I met up with him in the hall and would ask how he was he doing, he would usually reply, "Fine, fine, super fine!"

Oscar was more than fine. He was gracious and genuine, generous and kind. I can't say enough good things about Oscar...but I can say that I'm a better person for having known him.

He will be greatly missed. -- Sherri Mancini, Cincinnati Public Radio Vice President for Development

SWEET LOVE-- WT Bowers