In the last few days, One of My Friends and Portland, Radio Personality
Rick Liljenberg AKA Rick Eljin. Pass away a few day’s back at home in Hillsboro, Oregon. I will have more info latter. Just thought you would like to know.
He was a good friend to me and a very good Radio Broadcaster. I will dearly miss him.
Earlray

Sorry to hear about Rick. He worked for KYXI during the B/EZ years, I believe in afternoon drive. He wasn't particularly old. What happened? Both Earl and I worked with him at KGAR. He married someone at the station. I don't recall her name.

Rick Eljin was one of the best and smoothest guys on the air. He worked afternoon drive at KYXI. He also did the weather for a brief time at ch. 6.

He worked with Ken Lomax, Don Boyd, Howard Beckerman, Bob Brooks, the late Bennie Marsh, Paul Hansen, Harry Christensen, John Drewek and PD Jim Linegar.

And Wally Nelscog's voice doing the station id's.

Rick was music director at KYXI when I climbed aboard as the all-nighter. Smooth fellow, a wonderful friend, and fascinated with weather. He did in-depth weather features on KYXI before moving on to channel 6.

May God bless...my prayers are with his family and friends...

I met Ric when I went to work for KOIN Radio in 1976. I lost track of him when he left KOIN, but through Earlray I renewed the acquaintance when Ric returned to Portland last year. I'm really glad that I had the chance to spend time with him again. What a nice guy!

I've been scrounging around for some of Ric's audio to post. The only thing I can find is a set of promos Ric and Todd Dennis did at KOIN in 1976 for an upcoming big remote broadcast from Timberline Lodge. Don't remember the details, but the remote fell through and as far as I know these promos never aired. They're pretty cute. You can find 'em here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?tbhdexqyg2a
http://www.mediafire.com/?9z9bmzdxx5m
http://www.mediafire.com/?lmgrxixcmsy
http://www.mediafire.com/?0yzxbnjufxw
http://www.mediafire.com/?1zk0yhnemxj
http://www.mediafire.com/?fmn4lhbzjb5
http://www.mediafire.com/?1llzvtbtdh4
http://www.mediafire.com/?llt2xddghxq
http://www.mediafire.com/?itb1gaexgoj
http://www.mediafire.com/?bzixitz5iyn

By the way, the announcer in these was Denny Delk who did afternoon drive at the time.

I wish I had some of Ric's airchecks to share. He was really really good!

He married Judy "West" while at KGAR ( West was her on air name as a news director as I knew her up here ) . I vaguely remember that she may have had another role at KGAR along with news director or news person. I worked with Judy in her role as News Director at KALE/OK95 here some years later in the Tri Cities, after she remarried of course.

I remember Rick at KYXI for the short time he was doing partime while he was at KOIN TV. We got into an interesting discussion about "The Exorcist" and the Catholic Church.

A memorial service for Richard D. Liljenberg III (Ric Eljin) will be at 11am Wednesday, July 9, at Canby United Methodist Church, 1520 N. Holly St., Canby. (The Hillsboro Argus)

Richard D. Liljenberg III

Tuesday, July 08, 2008 The Oregonian

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 9, 2008, in Canby United Methodist Church for Richard D. Liljenberg III, who died June 23 at age 63.

Richard D. Liljenberg III was born Dec. 27, 1944, in St. Cloud, Minn. He lived in Spokane before moving to Portland in 1967. During the 1970s, he was an disc jockey for various radio stations in the Portland metro area and was a weatherman for KOIN(6). His professional name was Ric Elgin. He moved to Minnesota in 1979 and to Florida in 1995. In 1968, he married Susan Heider; they divorced.

Survivors include his sons, Richard and Scott; brother, Robert; parents Richard and Virginia; and former wife, Susan Jeremiah.

Arrangements by Westside Cremation.

I seem to remember that Ric spelled his last name "Eljin" but also have seen "Elgin." Which is it?

Did a google search on all 4 spellings of his first and last names. The most popular is: Rick Eljin.

Although most people named this, go by Rick Elgin.

It would make sense to me that he spelled his 'air name' Eljin as his surname was Liljenberg. But then logically, if he wanted it to look a bit more like his actual surname, he could have spelled it Eljen.

I could imagine him snickering a bit right now over a few of us going on about this. His ex' Judy West still lives in this area , I think. I need to look her up one of these days. She has been out of radio for awhile now. Last I heard she was working for U.S Congressman Doc Hastings as a Media Rep.

Judy West was in my Radio Class at PCC. We paired up on some class assignments that Keith Allen had do. I remember producing this spot with Judy and going way to fast on delivery after listening back.

Judy got her first radio job at OEPBS when the KOAP-FM studios were still at the transmitter site on Healy Heights. At the time she was using her real name but switched to Judy West when she began spinning Country at KGAR. If you ever connect with her, tell her Craig Foster says hello!