Eldon Burgess

Longtime legendary WHUB Radio announcer/sportscaster Eldon Burgess died Tuesday morning December 23, 2014 in NHC Cookeville after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease. Funeral services for Eldon L. Burgess, age 83 of Cookeville, will be conducted Saturday December 27th at 1 p.m. at Cookeville First Cumberland Presbyterian Church with Dr. Charles McCaskey officiating. Burial will follow in Crest Lawn Cemetery. Mr. Burgess' family will receive friends Saturday from 11 a.m. until service time at the church. He was born March 10, 1931 in Smith County, TN to the late Harvey McMillan and Nellie Ann Howell Burgess. He attended school in Brush Creek and worked on his family's farm before attending TN School of Broadcasting. His broadcast career began in January of 1956 when he moved to Cookeville to begin working at WHUB. Over the next 40+ years, he became a household voice in this area. He was among the best known names and voices on the radio in the Upper Cumberland, in particular in his long-time role as half of the "Gene and Eldon" sportscasting team. Together, they called thousands of basketball, football and baseball games over the years, traveling the nation to cover Tennessee Tech and Cookeville Cavalier Sports. Eldon and Gene were inducted into the TTU Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. Cookeville High honored him by naming the pressbox at Eddie Watson Stadium in his honor. He was inducted into the Cookeville Cavalier Football Hall of Fame on August 2nd of this year. He was a long-time member of the Cookeville Evening Lions Club and was once named "Lion of the Decade." His love for people, service and the community continued after retiring from WHUB. He worked at Hooper Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home for several years and greeted visitors with a warm smile. He will be fondly remembered as a kind and thoughtful people person. He was proud of his family and was a loving husband, brother, father and grandfather. He was a member of the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church where he served as an elder and Sunday School Superintendent. He also loved to garden and to fish. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Wanda Williams and Helen Mabe VanStrander. Mr. Burgess is survived by his wife of 55 years, Carol Gentry Burgess (whom he married October 31, 1959 in Cookeville); daughters, Missy (Drew) Rawlins of Nashville and Amy (Danny) Crooks of Cookeville; three grandchildren, Andy Rawlins, Madison Crooks and Natalie Crooks; sister, Ann (Lee) Armstrong of Nashville; brother, Bill (Linda) Burgess; brother-in-law, Sidney Williams both of Brush Creek, TN; and by special friend, Karen Whittaker Robinson of Cookeville. Lee Webb, Ron Thurman, Al Middleton, Mike Davidson, Eddie Farris, Jeff Peek, Liz Fournet, and Teresa Galey will serve as pallbearers. Memorial contributions are encouraged and can be made to the Cookeville First Cumberland Presbyterian Church Capital Fund, 565 East 10th St., Cookeville, TN 38501.