“A heart of gold, a smile of pure joy, a kindness that extended to all he knew.”
Douglas “Doug” Heath died unexpectedly this past week, but his words were always expected, words of love, thoughtfulness, and knowledge. I met Doug Heath many years ago when he came to San Antonio having been an excellent administrator at AT&T out of Chicago for close to thirty years. I was immediately impressed with his knowledge and with his passion for community awareness, and his humbleness, yet firm, of understanding the importance of community involvement. As the years went on, he became quite knowledgeable about what was going on in our community and the established leadership of San Antonio’s Black community. He was intensely aware of the dynamics of political action and how it impacts us all.
After he began work for the San Antonio Observer, I was fortunate to have him in charge of accepting my articles for publication on a weekly basis and his encouraging positive comments about the content. He sent reminders, when work was late, and read them critically for content. As president of KROV Radio, I remember when he became a radio talk-show host at the station, and I was glad to hear it. He served as an interviewer and music expert with the latest and the oldest of good music that the Black community has been deprived of. He interviewed activists, elected officials, and individuals who were attempting to better our world. His Tuesday and Thursday show was named, “DR. DOUG’S FEEL-GOOD TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS SHOW, which he designed in an upbeat urban music genre that “will have you tapping your feet all day long.” His goal was to provide great music that would “have you forgetting your worries,” and to educate our community in profound ways.
He was the rock that kept us strong, and his strengths included consistency. He always made it a point to interview people that could uplift our community with programs and knowledge and was a man that always sought the truth in these times of great challenges against injustice. His words of “Thank you,” and, “That is perfect. I appreciate you, Mario!” were like beacons of light, not only to me, but to many others. When one least expected to be thanked, he did just that. He was always pleased with progress and once he emailed everyone to comment on the new equipment at KROV, “I came to the studio today and I have a new lease on LIFE! GOD IS GREAT ALL THE TIME! New equipment. clean environment, water . . . I feel like a real DJ. Listen today. . . tune in with me.”
He was always on the ball and kept us on our toes as far as the pandemic was concerned with loving advice. At the radio station he once told us, “As a media member we are exempted from the lock down order issued by the county and city. In order to maximize protection, we need to get more sanitizer in the studio. Hand wipes would be great if we can find them. We must limit people in the studio. Only those on air are allowed in the studio. Based on the six feet separation rule we should not have more than 3 guests in the studio at a time and no more than two people in the waiting area at a time. We must clean surfaces after guests leave and door handles after they have been touched. The virus can live on surfaces for as long as 72 hours. Anytime we use a disinfection spray, do not wipe let the surface air dry. Also clean the mikes prior to and after use. Finally, no side-by-side photos. If pictures are taken, we must maintain the six feet separation rule. If we follow these guidelines, we can continue to serve our community and protect each other.”
He was very concerned about community health and education, and the problems associated with limited reading skills of many workers but recognized that many of these individuals were holding down jobs that keep the job market vibrant and the country running. He recognized the challenges that non-readers have in ever more expanding areas that require strong literacy or numeracy skills. The long and short of this is that he cared about everyone and at the same time knew what was needed in terms of education. He expressed himself quite well on his Saturday program called the “Saturday Insight Show.” He often said that “We need deeper critical thinking to counterbalance the fear born of ignorance.” This made him an advocate for struggles for a society based on humanity and not on racism or abuse by the police. He supported the Black Lives Matter Movement and the struggles of women to be treated fairly.
He expressed a deep understanding of the problems in America when he said, “Corrosive stereotypes—such as the dangerous Black male—rooted themselves deep in our nation’s psyche and, whether or not they reach our consciousness, remain entwined in our thinking and our practices today. Throughout much of our history, the structures of slavery, Jim Crow, and other forms of racial exclusion were purposely intended to maintain deep divisions between us, to the advantage of some groups and the detriment of others.”
He was once told by an incompetent elementary school teacher that that he would not be educationally successful, but he proved that teacher wrong. He excelled in high school and graduated from college with a master’s degree in Communications. He never gave up despite the difficult road that he had to travel. Doug Heath was a survivor, having gone through a terrible auto accident and being pronounced “dead’ by medical staff some years back. His wonderful wife, Carolyn Heath, never left him during his most trying times. He will be missed not only by KROV, and the San Antonio Observer staff, but by everyone that knew of his loving kindness, thoughtfulness, and critical and knowledgeable wisdom. His family is in our thoughts and in prayer.
