Leo Greco - Eastern Iowa Legend

Leo Greco, an Eastern Iowa entertainment legend passed away Tuesday, 2 August 2011 @ age 89. Leo Greco was born in Oelwein on 1 November 1921. His parents Dominic & Mary Napoli Greco, like my grandparents, had immigrated to Oelwein from Southern Italia. His famiglia lived just half a block up the street from mine. Leo graduated from Sacred Heart High School. In WW II he served in the Navy. He was aboard the USS Luce on 4 May 1945 when the ship was sunk by Kamikaze planes off the coast of Okinawa.
At age 10 he took up the accordian. At age 15 he began playing with Oelwein area bands. After WW II he returned to Iowa, married & again played for local bands. In 1948 he formed his own band, Leo Greco & the Pioneers. In 1951 Kent Feeds began sponsoring a weekly TV show, Saturdays @ 6:30 PM, on WMT-TV (now KGAN). The show ran until 1969. Growing up, watching the show was a given in our home. (As well as many other Oelwein homes.) The show was carried on 6 TV stations & 23 radio stations.

After the show ended, he continued to work for WMT radio. His work included a Sunday radio program, "Variety Time". The program featured songs requested by listeners for various life events such as anniversaries & birthdays. Even though he retired from his sales jon in 1988, he continued hosting the radio program until 3 weeks ago. In 2010 the national Association of Broadcasters finally recognized his many years in broadcasting by giving him the Marconi Award for "Personality of the Year" in the small market category.
The links below include video of his time on TV as well as his years since. They also contain tributes that may seem to be a bit over the top to those who didn't know him. They aren't. That is exactly who he was. His death means that Eastern Iowa has lost 1 of the last of the great broadcasting pioneers of our area.

Oelwein Daily Register Obituary
See also: Iowa Radio Legend Leo Greco Dies at 89
KGAN CBS 2 :: CBS 2 This Morning - Remembering Leo: Iowa's Music Man Remembered
KGAN CBS 2 :: Top Stories - Remembering Leo: Iowa's Music Man Remembered
Longtime WMT Radio Host Leo Greco Dies at Age 89
WMT radio personality Leo Greco dies
Remembering Leo Greco
Remembering Leo Greco