“He felt very a lot that he had a platform when he had a microphone in entrance of him and that he ought to make use of it to do good.”
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Ken “The Common” Grant, the radio persona who despatched generations of Ottawa residents off to work or faculty each weekday morning with a brisk “Ahead, ho!” and a spherical of marching tunes, has died.
Grant died in an Ottawa hospital Wednesday, surrounded by shut buddies. He was 88.
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Born Kenneth Fredrick Ivan Grattan in Montreal, Grant grew to become a larger-than-life character within the Ottawa space, fondly remembered for his long-running morning present on CFRA in addition to his tireless efforts in elevating cash for charity. He would take part in as many as 300 fundraising occasions a 12 months regardless of having to stand up earlier than daybreak for his 6-9 a.m. shift.
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In a self-penned obituary composed with the assistance of fine good friend Judith Yaworksy, Grant wrote that his life was “profoundly modified” the primary time he MC’d the Jerry Lewis Labour Day telethon for muscular dystrophy. He helped Ottawa develop into the primary Canadian neighborhood to succeed in $1 million in pledges in the course of the annual fundraiser.
“I used to be so touched by the braveness of these with this illness and their households that I vowed to make use of my voice because the morning radio anchor to assist them and different individuals in want,” he wrote. “From that day ahead, I requested God day by day to point out me what I may do to assist.”
Grant arrived within the nation’s capital after he was employed by CFRA in 1961. It was station basic supervisor Terry Kielty, who instructed the title change, from Grattan to Grant. The Common nickname got here a few weeks later after the airing of a information tidbit about Ulysses S. Grant, the U.S. Civil Warfare basic. The announcer then turned to Ken and stated, “And, now, right here is our personal Common Grant.”
The nickname caught and the station ran with it. Kielty had a tailor custom-make a basic’s uniform for Grant, which he wore on 1000’s of private appearances. He performed marching-band music on his morning present and signed off with a cheery “Ahead, ho!”
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However he was additionally proud to assist actual troopers and had nice respect for Canada’s army. He travelled extensively to deliver leisure to distant bases, bringing “a much-needed elevate to the spirits of those that have been sacrificing a lot,” he wrote in his remaining missive.
Grant’s CFRA coworker, broadcaster Steve Madely, stated his good friend’s life was ruled by two robust values. “One was that, when you strategy individuals warmly, with a smile and sense of humour, they’d not solely mirror it again upon you, however they’d additionally cross it on to different individuals,” Madely stated.
The opposite got here from his Roman Catholic religion.
“He felt very a lot that he had a platform when he had a microphone in entrance of him and that he ought to make use of it to do good. So he did — for numerous charities, but additionally behind the scenes. He would put collectively somebody who had assets with somebody who had a necessity and nobody knew about these issues.”
Professionally, Madely described Grant as a “large” in morning radio, with a popularity extending past Ottawa. “Once you in contrast his rankings throughout the nation, he was one of many high three morning broadcasters in Canada on the time,” Madely stated.
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Yaworksy was at all times impressed by Grant’s potential to maintain issues recent on his present. She stated he would take a distinct route dwelling from work day by day so he obtained to know neighbourhoods in Ottawa and Gatineau, and infrequently had a narrative to inform the subsequent day about his adventures. He subscribed to varied newspapers and magazines and clipped fascinating articles to share with listeners.
She described his passing as the tip of an period. In an business outlined by rankings and the short turnover of on-air expertise, Grant did the CFRA morning present for 32 years, then put in a number of extra years at what was then Oldies 1310. He retired in 2001.
In his spare time, Grant beloved meals, wine, health, watching sports activities and boating on the Rideau River. He took cooking and wine-tasting programs and produced two cookbooks, together with one to lift cash for a girls’s dependancy centre. He additionally wrote a memoir, I Woke Up with “The Common” Too!, that was printed in 2015.
Extra just lately, Grant noticed dementia affecting the standard of life of individuals his personal age and located one other trigger to assist. He remained “sharp as a tack,” Madely stated, regardless of being out and in of hospital over the previous 12 months, and requested, in lieu of flowers, that donations in his title be made to the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County: www.dementiahelp.ca.
Grant is survived by his son, Kristopher. He was predeceased by his daughter, Kolleen, who died of most cancers in 2019.
A celebration of life is predicted to happen subsequent spring.
lsaxberg@postmedia.com
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