It is with a heavy heart that WMNR Fine Arts Radio shares news of the passing of Ron Dudak, longtime broadcaster and friend of WMNR. Ron passed away in January 2015 at the age of 59. Though he had curtailed his on-air hours of late, Ron supported the station tirelessly in so many ways and formatted playlists for us up until a week before his untimely death.

A pioneering broadcaster, Ron began airing Classical Collage on Sunday nights in 1976, six years before WMNR became a Fine Arts station. His broadcast was the first regular program of classical music on WMNR. He was known for featuring unusual and rarely heard works which he enhanced with his smooth, inimitable style and remarkable breadth and depth of knowledge. So many WMNR staff and listeners have wonderful memories of Ron Dudak.