Ozarks Life: Catching up with “The Old Record Collector”

CHRISTIAN COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) - This past week, a well-known Ozarks author and radio host celebrated a birthday.

It’s been two years since we’ve heard a soft, friendly voice on KTXR. But for “The Old Record Collector,” Wayne Glenn, sometimes it feels like he’s still on the air.

“I still have nightmares about mistakes,” Wayne laughed. “Even though I’m retired, every so often I’m still making mistakes on the radio in my dreams.”

From 1978 to 2021, the former social studies teacher and principal in both the Nixa and Clever School Districts loved spinning records on the weekends.

“Everything I played basically was my own; from my own collection,” Wayne said. “A lot of the stuff I bought was for people to enjoy by request.”

Today, Wayne’s collection quietly sits in two, archive rooms at his home. A lot of old records for “The Old Record Collector.”

“So I go out and buy Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller and Bing Crosby who I liked anyway,” Wayne said. “And I buy all this stuff and then I realized when I retired, I ain’t going to be playing that. There’s a lot of this stuff I enjoy, but I know I’m not going to be playing Lawrence Welk.”

So lately, Wayne has spent his days whittling down some of the collection he’s had since the 1960s - while occasionally adding a treasure or a trinket.

“This is a Highland Dairy carton,” Wayne said holding up a new prize, “from 1956, ‘57, or ‘58, something like that.”

Along with no longer being a radio personality, Wayne also says he probably will not write another book on local history either. But his passion for it remains. His “The Old Record Collector” Facebook page has daily posts with historical photos, stories, and tidbits.

“I intend to stay busy,” Glenn said. “I work on history, local history, do a Facebook post, but also mow my yard.”

We have a link to “The Old Record Collector’s” Facebook page by clicking here. You can also find Wayne Glenn at some local events where he’s a guest speaker sharing tales of Ozarks’ history.

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