I imagine this telegram was saved because the meeting with Roger Clipp, who was general manager at Philadelphia radio station WFIL and who was described as Walter Annenberg's right-hand man, led to Tony (who can be seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/guyclinch/33293488705) being hired and becoming a very popular announcer in Philadelphia. [My guess is quite wrong; Tony worked at WFIL by 1939 and possibly earlier.]
Tony's career in radio, which had really progressed very well, came to an end too soon when he died at age 41 of some kind of liver ailment.
Here's the text of an article on his death from the March 24, 1951, Binghamton, New York, newspaper:
Tony Wheeler
Rites Monday
In Owego
Funeral services for Anthony
Klem Wheeler, 41-year-old radio
announcer who was described to-
day as "one of the first real disc
jockeys in the business" will be
held Monday in his native Owego.
Mr. Wheeler, familiarly known
to Southern Tier radio audiences
as "Tony Wheeler" succumbed at
City Hospital at 5:30 p. m. yester-
day to a chronic liver ailment.'
He had been admitted to the
hospital Thursday. He had been
ill for about a year and had been
admitted to the hospital last
December for treatment and was
discharged early in January.
Services will be held at 2 p. m.
at the Estey and Munroe Funeral
Home, Park Street, Owego. The
Rev. Edgar Frank, pastor of Pres-
byterian Union Church, will of-
ficiate. Burial will be Evergreen
Cemetery, Owego.
At the time of his death, Mr.
Wheeler was employed at Station
WINR where he recently replaced
his announcer-son, William Wheel-
er, who has been drafted.
Mr. Wheeler was born in Owego
June 12, 1909, the son of Ezra and
Jenny Klem Wheeler. He was
educated in Owego schools.
He became an employe. of sta-
tion WNBF about 1930, beginning
his career as a radio engineer. He
obtained a radio license and was
second in command of engineering
at WNBF until about 1934.
Cecil D. Mastin, general man-
ager of WNBE, said today Mr.
Wheeler "was one of the fastest
code transmitting
men in the
business."
"Tony became very interested
in announcing from 1933 on and
acted in the dual capacity of an-
nouncer - technician during that
period. He was one of the first
real disc jockeys in the business,"
he said.
In 1940, Mr. Wheeler joined Sta-
tion WFIL, Philadelphia, Mr. Mas-
tin said, and "there he very soon
established a reputation as being
the outstanding announcer in the
city."
He returned to WNBF to
serve for one year as chief an-
nouncer in 1947. He later was em-
ployed in Rochester.
Besides his parents, with whom
he lived at 72 Forsythe Street,
Mr. Wheeler is survived by his
sons, William, stationed at Camp
Dix, N. J ., and John, of Philadel-
phia, and a daughter, Joan, also
of Philadelphia.
