They say a picture is worth a thousand words. 

In my case, it was worth a thousand memories. 

It started when I found an old envelope buried in a long unopened drawer and discovered the yellowed newspaper article below. It was from The Varsity, the U. of T.'s newspaper. The story was about Radio Varsity, a campus radio station that was only available via closed circuit at the University and on a channel over Rogers Cable no one listened to. 

I was a radio crazed teenager in 1974 and they were very short of volunteer staff. So though I was still in high school, they let me on "the air" there to do what was my first real radio show. It paid nothing but experience and that was more than enough for me. 

The article shows the control room, something I hadn't seen or recalled in decades. And it brought back a flood of memories I hadn't thought of in years about that place at the top of the stairs at 91 St. George St. 

Radio Varsity, which we called "CKRV" (although we had no right to use any call letters because we weren't a real radio station) boasted an eclectic group of people who loved the medium, including one who went on to have quite an amazing career. His name was Kevin Nelson, the son of legendary CHUM morning man Jay Nelson, and even though he was barely 16, he was already showing signs of being an incredible talent. 

He would later go on to be the long running #1 morning man in Ottawa, before he tragically passed away from liver issues way too soon in Dec. 2011. 

I hadn't thought of the place for years but it's funny how that one pic of the control room brought it all back so clearly. Three turntables and two cart machines! I'm only sorry they didn't catch the board. Not sure who that is cueing up the next record, but I'm sure that head of hair is long since gone!

As most here know, Radio Varsity never did get that licence. It was years later that CIUT was put on FM, but we never managed to make it happen. But it sure was fun while it lasted.