A voice that is well-known and well-beloved to longtime WHOP listeners will be missed, as Gerald “Jerry” Stegall passed away recently.
Stegall appeared on the WHOP Early Bird Show for many years alongside Dink Embry, and together, the two would sing to school students each snow day, telling them there “Ain’t No School Today”—a sound that is a childhood staple to many Christian Countians.
Stegall was stationed at Fort Campbell with the 101st Airborne Division, where he would meet his wife of 62-years, Juanita. He worked for many years at WHOP, and during the 70th anniversary program, he told the story of joining the Early Bird Show—it was a matter of perfect timing.
And of course, Stegall penned the lyrics to the famous “Ain’t No School Today”, and he told listeners that Dink Embry came up with the music, all in an effort to get the word out about school closures due to snow—and the rest is history.
Although he was a resident of Midland, Michigan at the time of his death, Stegall will be returned home to Hopkinsville, to be laid to rest next to his wife in Riverside Cemetery. His family can rest assured that his memory, and his voice, will remain alive on WHOP whenever the snow falls, and students listen to hear if they’ll have no school that day.
Ain’t No School Today, Jerry Stegall and Col. Dink Embry: