WGN Radio Legend Opens Estate Sale to Public

For decades he was that sensational voice in Chicago radio you could always count on for the latest interview with film stars, musicians and authors.

Actress Sally Field, record producer Quincy Jones and other cultural icons rated him the best in his field, according to WGN, where he worked for 31 years.

He “is the window to my world,” one listener told Patch.

If you listened to WGN-AM (720) before 1998, you, too, may remember former radio host Roy Leonard, who, with his wife, Sheila, held an estate sale on Saturday and Sunday at their home on Cumnor Road in Kenilworth, where they raised six sons and lived for 43 years. 

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The sale included nearly 1,000 books and 500 CDs—many of them jazz—along with theater memorabilia and furniture.

Leonard, 80, and his wife will continue their lifelong romance as they  prepare to sell their house and move to the Mather Retirement Community in Evanston.  

The reason for their fond farewell has to do with timing, as much as comfort. Leonard's wife has had increased difficulty climbing stairs, and downsizing will help them meet their needs.

"I said, 'hey, that's it,'" Roy recalled. "There's no way we can do this. We've got to move."

On the Air

Held by New Trier Sales, the open house drew more than 700 collectors, neighbors and bargain hunters to Leonard's treasure trove of music, playbills and books, some written and autographed by various cultural icons—film director Ingmar Bergman, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and legendary rock-guitarist Ronnie Wood.

“The best interviews I ever had were from the most famous people,” he confessed. “I remember Jack Benny came in, and he had one person with him, that's all....”

Sometimes, though, the celeberties entered as if ready for their closeups.

“Other stars,” he continued, with a chuckle, “would come in with five or six people—their publicity agent, their hair dresser—and they'd kind of put on a show, if you will.”

All wasn't pomp and circumstance, though, and Leonard's collection was a testament to the depths he reached. Whether reading autobiographies, plays or fiction, about or written by guests, he absorbed and often notated books before interviews.

“One of the secrets of the interview is to know the person that you're interviewing,” he explained of his technique. “Know as much about them as you can beforehand, so that when you start asking questions, they realize that you really want to know the answer.”

Off the Air

In 1998, not long after retiring, Leonard began blogging at  www.royleonard.com. He signed off in April, though, due to health problems he and has wife were having.

As for any urges to reclaim the mic, Leonard said he retired at the right time.

"I was told by [the new, WGN owners], 'We want you to piss off the audience,'" Roy said of the change in content that resembles a significant part of talk radio today. "I could never do that! There's no warmth and friendliness."

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