Harry D. Butler

The Legendary Harry Butler, affectionally known to close friends and family as “Shug,” left this earth for his heavenly home on Sunday, June 23. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 64 years, Anne Fite Butler and bonus son, Randy Snell.

Left here to cherish the memories are his children, Sydney Butler Gunter (Randy), Debbie Butler Pope (Charley), Laurie Butler Mayben and Mack Newman Butler (Connie) along with 13 Grandchildren and 25 Great-grandchildren.

Harry was born Oct. 29, 1933, in Kent (Elmore County) to Newman Frank and Ruby Lucille Cotton Butler of Anniston. His radio broadcasting career started while he was in high school, and he gained prominence as a longtime presence on Gadsden stations WJBY, WLJM and WGAD. His voice was familiar to listeners through his weekday morning programs and his Sunday morning “Songs of Inspiration” gospel music program.

For years, Butler was considered the “Howard Cosell of local sports” as the voice of Friday night high school football games in Etowah and surrounding counties. He was the public address announcer at Green Valley Drag Strip and Gadsden Raceway, and covered races at Talladega Superspeedway for many years, for NBC and ABC radio.

He earned an Associated Press Radio-Television Broadcast Journalism Award for his coverage and reporting of the Gadsden High School fire in 1972. The honor cited his “overall excellence, performance under pressure, initiative and public service.” The Alabama Associated Press Broadcaster Association called his work on that story “a credit to broadcast journalism.”

Butler authored “Alabama’s First Radio Stations” and was a longtime motivational speaker for different events around town.

Butler has been a presence in The Gadsden Times’ news and lifestyle sections for more than two decades, particularly with his “When Harry Met ...” columns on everyday people with interesting and compelling stories.

He was an original member of the board of directors of John Croyle’s Big Oak Boys Ranch and a longtime PTA president in local schools. He has been an elected member of the Republican Executive Committee on both the county and state levels and was longtime chairman of Etowah County’s Board of Registrars following appointments by former Govs. Bob Riley and Robert Bentley.

A U.S. Army veteran, Butler was married 64 years to his high school sweetheart, Anne. They traveled many years as lay ministers for the United Methodist Church (he was a longtime member of Christ Central Church).

Harry and Anne were foster parents to dozens of teenagers throughout the years, and because of that the family has many “honorary” children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.