Ottawa radio host Gord Atkinson, who rubbed elbows with Elvis and Sinatra, dies at 94
Posted Apr 26, 2021 4:45 pm.
Last Updated Apr 26, 2021 5:00 pm.
TORONTO — Gord Atkinson, whose popular show “Campus Corner” became a staple of Ottawa radio in the 1950s, has died at 94.
His son Peter confirmed the host on Ottawa’s CFRA-AM died early Monday after recently suffering a stroke.
Atkinson started his career at CFRB-AM and CHUM-AM in Toronto in the early 1950s before making a move to the nation’s capital.
It’s there where he took a gig at CFRA-AM, which offered him the opportunity to really make a splash as the host of “Campus Corner,” a two-hour weekend show that focused on youth entertainment.
For 13 years, Atkinson rubbed elbows with stars the likes of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Ottawa-born impressionist Rich Little on the show and its spinoff “Campus Club.”
After that, he took his skills to his weekly series “Showbill,” launched in 1967, which explored the world of entertainment with in-depth biographies of famous entertainers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2021.
David Friend, The Canadian Press
