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To designate the 1100 block of Front Street in honor of Kirby David Carmichael.
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WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, Kirby David Carmichael was born, raised, and educated in Millville, New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, Kirby David Carmichael’s dream was to be a radio announcer and disc jockey, and he pursued that dream while a junior in high school when he worked part-time at radio station WWBZ-AM in Vineland, New Jersey, and served as a disc jockey for most of his high school dances; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, Kirby David Carmichael was drafted into the United States Army on February 19, 1964, and, in a short period, he was promoted from private to sergeant and was honorably discharged after two years of admirable service to his country; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, at the completion of his military service, Kirby David Carmichael returned home to Millville, New Jersey and assumed his position at radio station WWBZ-AM, where, after some time, the station manager indicated that it was time for Kirby to move on to bigger and better opportunities; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, Kirby David Carmichael continued the pursuit of his dream position to be a radio announcer and disc jockey when he accepted an opportunity with WSID-AM in Baltimore, Maryland, where, after the submission of his audition tape, he was immediately hired as an on-air personality; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, in 1968, Kirby David Carmichael submitted an audition tape to WENZ-AM in the city of Richmond, which resulted in a job offer and his relocation to Richmond; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, from 1969 until 2002 when he retired, Kirby David Carmichael, advanced professionally in the city of Richmond, moving from WENZ-AM, after program changes, to WANT-AM, where worked for 13 years, starting as the afternoon disc jockey and later being promoted to music director; and
WHERAS, upon information and belief of the Council, WANT-AM was later sold and Kirby David Carmichael was offered a job at the much larger 200,000 watt radio station WRVQ-FM where he eagerly became the midnight voice of WRVQ-FM, also known as Q94 FM, and for the next 20 years of his stellar radio career was known as “The Tall Man of Soul,” “The Rocking Jock,” “Super Jock Kirby Carmichael,” and for his catchphrase, “Ain’t playing nothing but the hits;” and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, while Kirby David Carmichael loved being a radio personality and often said it wasn’t a job but a party, he also took his job and radio very seriously as a way to reach out to all communities, using his voice and resources to help in any way he could, especially with families going through hardships and with sponsoring events for keeping young people out of trouble; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, Kirby David Carmichael inspired the community to unite and help families fallen on hard times by sending clothes, food, and donations, especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas, and he made arrangements for donations to be stored at the old Highs Ice Cream Shop on Creighton Road for access by those in need; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, Kirby David Carmichael’s charitable activities included once staying on the air for 72 hours continuously to raise money for the old Richmond Community Hospital, providing entertainment for the playgrounds in parts of the city of Richmond, and opening up roller skating as a fun and recreational alternative activity to keep youth out of trouble and give them something constructive to do with their time; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, for more than 25 years, every Sunday night, Kirby David Carmichael hosted a skating event with “Kirby and the Crew” at the Skateland located on Williamsburg Road and it is believed that more than 50,000 skaters a year would participate with Kirby and his guest recording artists who would sign autographs and roller skate with the youth in attendance; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, Kirby David Carmichael was also a well-known part of the local business community for his popularly-requested live broadcasts from business locations and for assisting with marketing campaigns, including, on one occasion, wrestling a 500-pound bear; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to memorialize the life of Kirby David Carmichael for his contributions to the entertainment, social, and charitable life of the city of Richmond by designating the 1100 block of Front Street in his honor; and
WHEREAS, because this designation is honorary only, the provisions of sections 8-7 through 8-10 of the Code of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended, do not apply to the designation made hereby or to any signs erected pursuant to this ordinance;
NOW, THEREFORE,
THE CITY OF RICHMOND HEREBY ORDAINS:
§ 1. Designation of Street Block for Honorary Names. The 1100 block of Front Street shall be designated in honor of Kirby Carmichael pursuant to this ordinance.
§ 2. Effect of Designation. The designation of the portion of the street made pursuant to this ordinance shall be honorary only, shall not replace the existing name of the street, and shall have no effect on the address of any property with an address on the designated street blocks. The sole effect of designation pursuant to this ordinance shall be to authorize the placement of commemorative signs in accordance with this ordinance memorializing the designation in honor of the named persons.
§ 3. Administration of Ordinance. The Department of Public Works shall implement this ordinance by installing, as soon as practicable after the adoption of this ordinance, and maintaining commemorative signs in accordance with this section. The commemorative signs shall be clearly distinct from the street signs used to identify the portion of the street in question such that a reasonable person could not conclude that the commemorative signs reflect the actual name of the street. The commemorative signs (i) shall be affixed to a sign pole installed at each end of the portion of the street designated in section 1 of this ordinance for the purpose of fulfilling the requirements of this section or to any existing sign identifying the portion of the street designated in section 1 of this ordinance located at each end of the portion of the street designated in section 1 of this ordinance and (ii) shall bear the name of the person set forth in section 1 of this ordinance.
§ 4. Effective Date. This ordinance shall be in force and effect upon adoption.