MONROE - Joseph G. Urban of Monroe died Wednesday, June 12. He was 92.
Urban is remembered in the community as one of the popular radio broadcasters, who partnered with "Stan" Neuberger as part of the original team that planned and started Monroe's radio station, WEKZ, in 1951. The two men had been with WCLO in Janesville, and each eventually served as station manager for WEKZ.
Urban and Neuberger broadcasted live from the Green County Cheese Days for the first time in 1955.
Urban and Neuberger also served as Cheese Days parade co-marshalls in September 2010, one of their last performances together. Stanley "Stan" J. Neuberger died April 1, 2011, at the age of 86. Urban described his role of co-marshall as "riding with Stan Nueberger in the Cheese Day Parade" in an interview with The Monroe Times in September 2010.
He recalled the 1955 Cheese Days as special, emceeing the stage show and broadcast, with Neuberger controlling from Schuetze's Clothing Store on the Square.
"That's where we first monitored with a transistor radio," he said in the interview.
Urban also told of getting caught in the rain during a performance of the Fraunfelder Family Swiss Band. Ever creative and inventive, Urban found a large tractor umbrella and set it up on the stage. The band kept playing, and the audience stayed too, standing under store awnings and sheets of plastic.
Urban and his late wife Sally had six children Peter, Susan, Mary Jo, Paul, David and Matt.
Funeral arrangements are pending at Shriner-Hager-Gohlke Funeral Home in Monroe.
Urban is remembered in the community as one of the popular radio broadcasters, who partnered with "Stan" Neuberger as part of the original team that planned and started Monroe's radio station, WEKZ, in 1951. The two men had been with WCLO in Janesville, and each eventually served as station manager for WEKZ.
Urban and Neuberger broadcasted live from the Green County Cheese Days for the first time in 1955.
Urban and Neuberger also served as Cheese Days parade co-marshalls in September 2010, one of their last performances together. Stanley "Stan" J. Neuberger died April 1, 2011, at the age of 86. Urban described his role of co-marshall as "riding with Stan Nueberger in the Cheese Day Parade" in an interview with The Monroe Times in September 2010.
He recalled the 1955 Cheese Days as special, emceeing the stage show and broadcast, with Neuberger controlling from Schuetze's Clothing Store on the Square.
"That's where we first monitored with a transistor radio," he said in the interview.
Urban also told of getting caught in the rain during a performance of the Fraunfelder Family Swiss Band. Ever creative and inventive, Urban found a large tractor umbrella and set it up on the stage. The band kept playing, and the audience stayed too, standing under store awnings and sheets of plastic.
Urban and his late wife Sally had six children Peter, Susan, Mary Jo, Paul, David and Matt.
Funeral arrangements are pending at Shriner-Hager-Gohlke Funeral Home in Monroe.