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Paul Edward Palmer Obituary (1942 - 2019)

Born Nov 18, 1942, Paul Edward Palmer attended Howard High School in Ellicott City, MD. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Paul Edward Palmer.

Graduation Year Class of 1960
Date of Birth Nov 18, 1942
Date of Passing Oct 28, 2019
About Paul Palmer grew up fascinated by television, but another electronic medium caught his ear: radio.

It eventually became a calling for him - not just a form of entertainment, but a force for uniting the community.

In 22 years as the general manager at KFMB, he turned the AM and FM stations into ratings juggernauts, helped launch the careers of Mark Larson, Ted Leitner and other popular broadcasters, and rallied San Diegans around dozens of causes large and small.

After the Padres lost the first two games of the 1984 National League Championship Series in Chicago, they returned to San Diego late at night and traveled on buses to Jack Murphy Stadium where, instead of an empty parking lot, they were greeted by thousands of cheering fans.

KFMB had organized the rally and the players later credited it with buoying their spirits as they went on to win three straight over the Cubs and advance for the first time to the World Series.

"That was Paul's idea," Leitner said. "He was always asking, "What can we do to make things better?"

Palmer, who later channeled his interest in community building into stints with Big Brothers Big Sisters and the National Conflict Resolution Center, died Oct 28 in a car crash in Del Mar. He was 76.

Born Nov 18, 1942 in York, PA., Palmer was raised by his grandparents in Howard County, MD. TV was in its infancy, and Palmer was so drawn to it he collected the first 52 issues of TV Guide and acted out shows for neighborhood kids in his garage.

"But radio had it's own magic," he told the Union-Tribune in 1986. At the University of Maryland he studied broadcasting, worked for the campus station and met his future wife. On Feb 11, 1964, he attended a press conference in Washington, D.C., for the Beatles, two days after their historic TV appearance on the "The Ed Sullivan Show' When it was over, while he was collecting his mirophone, he dared to ask band members for interview.

To his surprise - he thinks it was because he was close to their age - they agreed. It became one of the highlights of his career. George Harrison told quips abour how they weren't afraid of being mobbed while walking the streets because they were too lazy to walk. John Lennon doubted Beatlemanis would last longer than a few years.

"None of the four had any idea that this was going to be the beginning of the most significant happening in music history," Palmer told the Union-Tribune in 2014.

See attachments for remainder of Obit
Events Services are scheduled for Nov. 18, 2019 at 5pm at Our Mother of Confidence Catholic Churct,
3131 Governor Dr.
Memorial donations can be made to Big Bothers Big Sisters, the National Conflict Resolution Center, or the American Diabete Association.
Paul Edward Palmer

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