Ross: Remembering Dori Monson, who touched a lot of lives

One of the stories I hadn’t heard — a clip for a talk show Dori did many years ago – was a call from 9-year-old Casey.

“Casey, thanks for your patience, Welcome to Talk Radio KING 1090,” Dori said. “How are you doing tonight?”

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“I’m good; how are you,” Casey responded.

“No complaints, Casey where are you calling from?” Dori asked.

“North Seattle,” Casey said.

“All right, welcome to the show,” Dori said.

So Casey answers a sports trivia question, and he wins a prize.

“We have a Mariners autographed baseball from last season, and since you got the answer to that trivia question, we’d like you to have it,” Dori said.

That was 33 years ago — and yesterday, grown-up Casey came on with John Curley.

“Did the ball make it, Casey?” John asked

“It did, and I still have it in my parent’s house,” Casey replied.

“And you are how old now?” John asked.

“Forty-two,” Casey said.

That two minutes on the air created a forever memory.

But Dori didn’t just send him a baseball, Dori stayed in touch.

“And that’s who Dori was. Dori, for the next 30 years, stayed in touch with me, and at different points, in middle school and high school, he’d send me a note and say ‘how are you doing,'” Casey told John, remembering his relationship with the famous host.

A sweet story and a reminder that a little kindness can have a lasting impression.

And then I come to learn that little Casey is actually Casey McNerthney, who’s been on our show each week, and works as a spokesman for the King County prosecutor’s office — the kind of job where you’re dealing with the opposite of kindness.

But he hangs onto that memory from those two minutes with Dori on the radio.

And thank you to Casey and John Curley, who hosted the tribute for six hours after our show yesterday, and Dori’s producers, and to all the listeners and friends who shared their stories.

Listen: Friends, colleagues offer tribute to KIRO Newsradio’s Dori Monson

Listen to Seattle’s Morning News with Dave Ross and Colleen O’Brien weekday mornings from 5 – 9 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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