[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 24010-24011]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       IN TRIBUTE TO RHODE ISLAND BROADCASTING LEGEND SALTY BRINE

 Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I want to pay tribute to a great 
Rhode Islander who passed away on Election Day: Walter L ``Salty'' 
Brine.
  Salty Brine was a local broadcasting legend one might even say he was 
the voice of Rhode Island. For half a century, he hosted the morning 
program on WPRO-AM. It was Salty's voice that thrilled three 
generations of schoolchildren on snowy mornings with the announcement, 
``No school, Foster-Glocester!''
  Salty's show was the soundtrack of a Rhode Island morning. The sound 
of his voice conjures up the following scene: It is dark outside, a 
bowl of steaming oatmeal is on the kitchen table, there is a mad 
scramble to locate a missing mitten before the school bus arrives.
  Salty would preside over the recounting of the news and the weather. 
His wife Mickie would call in and give a report on what birds were at 
the birdfeeder. We would be on the edges of our seats waiting for him 
to say our school was closed. I suppose it is fair to say that Rhode 
Islanders associate Salty Brine with that singular elation aroused by a 
snow day. Salty was the ultimate bearer of good news.
  Of course, Salty's career encompassed much more than reading the 
rollcall of school closures. From 1958 to 1968, he hosted a children's 
television program called ``Salty Brine's Shack,'' which costarred his 
collie Jack and ended reliably with the admonition, ``Brush your teeth 
and say your prayers!'' Having lost a leg in a train accident when he 
was a boy, Salty was a firm support and wonderful example for 
youngsters who were coping with a similar disability. Salty would 
demonstrate how the loss of a limb really would not set them back one 
bit.
  Many charitable endeavors benefited from Salty's talent, energy, and 
good

[[Page 24011]]

name. He was especially involved in the Big Brothers of Rhode Island, 
the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and was a board member, 
appropriately enough, of Save the Bay. Cardi's Furniture for whom he 
had recorded a trademark commercial--honored Salty for his service to 
our community just last year.
  Born in 1918, Salty's life was framed by Red Sox World Series 
victories. This is entirely appropriate, as Salty was an ardent and 
devoted fan and even had aspired to be a ball player. Just last August, 
on Rhode Island Day at Fenway Park, Salty Brine was given the well-
deserved honor of throwing out the first pitch.
  Like the Big Blue Bug and Mr. Potato Head, Salty Brine, with his 
skipper's hat, was a Rhode Island icon, a one-of-a-kind and endearing 
institution that bound all Rhode Islanders together in a single fond 
experience. He was so much a part of our landscape that the legislature 
renamed a Narragansett State beach after him. The Salty Brine Beach 
endures as a permanent affirmation of our affection for our Salty.
  Salty Brine was married to his first wife, Marion, known to all as 
Mickie, for 56 years. She died in 2000. He is survived by his wife, 
Roseanna, and his son Wally, who co-hosts the ``Loren & Wally Morning 
Show'' on WROR-FM in Boston.
  Rhode Island will miss him.

                          ____________________