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HUNTLEY – On Aug. 8, friends and family of legendary WGN agribusiness broadcaster Orion Samuelson, gathered at Jameson’s Charhouse in Sun City to celebrate his retirement after 60 years on the air.

Gloria Samuelson, Orion’s wife, explained that there were about 65 people in attendance at the celebration, which included other big-name guests like Emmy-Award-winning entertainment reporter and critic Dean Richards and WGN Radio AM 720 anchor Steve Alexander who was named as Orion’s successor back in January.

“I’ve spent 60 years at WGN convincing or trying to convince people that if they eat, they’re involved in agriculture. Which we all are because without agriculture, we wouldn’t have anything to keep us nutritious and safe,” Orion told My Huntley News.

As to retirement plans moving forward, Gloria shared that the couple has been enjoying spending more time with friends. In addition, Gloria and Orion would have normally traveled to their second home in Arizona, but the recent surge in COVID-19 cases has prevented them from doing so.

However, retirement hasn’t been without its difficulties as the self-described “cow milker from Wisconsin” became emotional when explaining how much he misses his daily interactions with people and colleagues.

From working alongside media legends like Wally Phillips, a pioneer of the radio call-in talk show format, to being the staffer at WGN to break the news of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, it’s no wonder Orion never considered his lustrous role as an agribusiness director, to be a job.

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“As a farm boy milking cows in the morning up in Wisconsin, [I] never could have dreamed that I would end up doing this. That’s why I titled my book ‘You Can’t Dream Big Enough,’ because you can’t. I’ve been so lucky. So lucky. Interviewed nine presidents and traveled to 42 countries and was in China and Russia. Visited Joseph Stalin’s headquarters in the down country of Russia. I could never have dreamed I’d do that,” said Orion.

When asked how he got interested in working in radio, Orion stated he was prepared to take over his family’s dairy farm, but on one faithful day, the soon to be high school student was diagnosed with Legg-Perthes disease, a condition where the blood supply to the head of the thigh bone is disrupted which causes bone deterioration.

The disease kept Orion from walking for two years, which made listening to the radio his only real avenue into the outside world. As his interest in a broadcasting career grew, one of his vocational agriculture teachers recommended for Orion to begin by participating in public speaking events.

After completing high school, Orion enrolled in a six-month broadcasting program at the American Institute of Air in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In 1952, he got his first full-time radio job at WKLJ-AM in Sparta, Wisconsin making $50 a week. Orion has since worked for WHBY-AM in Appleton, Wisconsin, as well as WBAY-AM/TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin where he took his first trip to Washington D.C. and met with President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

“People have often asked me, they still do, who are my favorite presidents because I’ve interviewed nine of them. I have two favorites. Ronald Reagan who was such a good communicator. Harry Truman who had to make probably more difficult decisions because he [was handed] two wars. The European War [and] the Pacific War… [and] had to fire Douglas MacArthur, a true hero in American military [history], but he had to fire him because he was president and you know, I just look at the tremendous things he did,” said Orion.

Among some of Orion’s other notable accolades include being bestowed with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2001 by the University of Illinois, being inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2003, and having the southeast corner of E. Illinois Street and N. Cityfront Plaza Drive named Orion Samuelson Way by the city of Chicago in 2010.

With Orion having accomplished so much throughout his agricultural reporting career, he shared a few pieces of advice for anyone aspiring to become an agribusiness reporter.

“Although I have made mistakes, [the] lesson that you learn what’s real and what isn’t has been invaluable and the second thing is listen. Be a good listener because so many people ask a question and then don’t listen to the answer. Until you get to know what’s bothering people, until you get to know what issues they have, whether it be growing corn, soybeans, or other crops until you really listen to what they’re concerned about, you can’t talk about it,” Orion said. “So, be right. I don’t ever want to say ‘I’m sorry. I made a mistake,’ but we all do.”

Orion says he is grateful for the opportunity to have traveled the world as the only trips he would take as a kid, were to travel 30 miles to La Crosse, Wisconsin for Christmas shopping and other errands.

He and Gloria have even gotten the opportunity to visit what was left of his grandparent’s farm in Norway.

On a lighter note, Orion and a studio group dubbed “Uff da Band” recorded covers of Yogi Yorgesson’s novelty songs “I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas” and “Yingle Bells.” Orion said he sold around 1,200 records with the proceeds going to charity.

All in all, there is just so much more to be said about Orion’s amazing accomplishments that can’t possibly fit into the confines of a My Huntley News article.

With that being said, individuals interested in learning more about Orion’s life and career can check out his book “You Can’t Dream Big Enough” available on Amazon: www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Dream-Big-Enough/dp/0985067314.