Remembering a longtime Wisconsin School of the Air host
by Randall DavidsonWisconsin Public Radio staffers were saddened to learn of the passing
of Norman Clayton in West Bend on October 31, 2002. Clayton was the
longtime host of "Let's Sing," a radio offering from the Wisconsin
School of the Air designed for use as an in-classroom singing program.
Clayton was co-host of "Let's Sing" from 1961 until the program ended
in 1974. He was assisted by co-host Lois Dick and pianist Don Voegeli.
The program aired statewide on the stations that are now known as
Wisconsin Public Radio on Wednesday afternoons in classrooms around the state. It was one of the first programs in the School of the Air series, beginning with the title "Journeys in Music Land" in 1931.
Clayton was also known to television viewers in Milwaukee for his
pioneering work on WTMJ, where he hosted programs like "Uncle
Norm's Backyard" and the "Grandpa Graf Cartoon Club."
Clayton was a graduate of Carroll College in Waukesha and received his
master's degree in education administration from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He was an elementary school teacher in Whitefish Bay and Milwaukee and was a school principal in Shorewood and Madison.
After retiring in 1974, Clayton and his wife lived in Waupaca, and moved
to West Bend in 1980.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Kathryn, earlier this year. He is
survived by two daughters and a brother as well as grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
Contact: Randall Davidson, 608-263-3634
Date Posted: 11/22/02
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