Photo Courtesy of Jerry Black Broadcasters Hall of Fame Honors Jerry Black by Evelyn Boswell Jerry Black, EX '55, a "true blue Bobcat" and long-time radio broadcaster from Shelby, was inducted into the 2004 Hall of Fame by the Montana Broadcasters Association. The honor flabbergasted him, Black said, but his supporters said it only seemed fitting. "Jerry Black is a guy that really exemplifies what's good about Montana, which, of course, are its people," said Shelby Mayor Larry Bonderud. "He's just a great and caring human being who has always devoted a large percentage of his time to his community in various ways throughout the year." Kathy McCleary from the Northern Broadcasting System said, "He's an icon in the broadcast industry and well respected for his commitment to local radio." Black attended Montana State University from 1953 to 1955, when he left for financial reasons and started working as a salesman at KIYI (now KSEN) in Shelby. He bought KSEN in 1976 with partners Bob Hauser and Bob Norris, and put KZIN-FM on the air two years later. Black sold KSEN/KZIN to Marathon Media in 1999 and continued working as general manager until his retirement in 2002, when he was elected to the state senate. His proudest moments occurred when the station won two national awards, Black said. The National Headliners Award honored the station for its coverage after a foot of rain fell in 24 hours and caused the Swift Dam and Two Medicine Dam to break almost simultaneously. Thirty-two people were killed in the 1967 tragedy. In 1989, KSEN was the smallest market in the country to win the National Association of Broadcaster's Crystal Award. The station was honored for its public service during a blackout that affected nearly 100,000 people in north-central Montana. Of his latest award -- his induction into the Hall of Fame -- a modest Black said, "It goes to show and prove that you can actually mispronounce every word in the English language, make every mistake known to broadcasting and still make it into the Hall of Fame. The only thing I can say is, 'What a country.'" Black never returned to MSU to receive his degree, but he clearly kept the university in his heart. He's a member of the MSU Alumni Association and the advisory board for the Athletic Scholars Association. Black and his wife, Billiette, have six children, three of whom attended MSU, as well as the two children of Bonderud, his friend and University of Montana alumnus. "Jerry converted them," Bonderud joked. Black, who lettered in gymnastics at MSU and entertained halftime crowds on the trampoline, said, "Even though I didn't graduate, I'm a true blue Bobcat. Always have been. I made a lot of friends during my college days that are still with me today."