The unifying finale event for the entire celebration series. This free downtown celebration, produced in partnership with Hamilton County, Featured a world-class 500-drone show above the Tennessee River in a choreographed patriotic performance, along with a dramatic 1,000-foot pyro waterfall cascading from the Market Street Bridge. This Tennessee America 250 Program is supported in part by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial. Date July 4th 2026.
He was indeed the voice of Chattanooga. That voice informed Chattanooga and surrounding area
of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I think of him often and will always be grateful for the opportunity
to have worked with the very best, a man known by everyone by his first name, Luther.
~
Ben Cagle
Chattanooga Blues
I was deeply honored to produce this documentation of Charles H. Coolidge. Mr. Coolidge was the recipient of the United States highest decoration of valor, the Medal of Honor, for his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty. Although in declining health, Mr. Coolidge and his family toured the Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage center shortly before it opened to the public
and not long before his death on April 6th 2021.
I have been fortunate to have had some of the most talented people on earth as friends. I fondly remember recording this video back in 2016,
Chattanooga will always remember the Dismembered Tennesseans and the late Fletcher Bright.
Blazing Saddles was nominated for three Academy Awards and is ranked at #6 on the American film institute's
100 years....100 laughs list.
In addition, in 2006 Blazing Saddles was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
I picked up Tommy Jett to take him to lunch for his 76th Birthday.
Little did he know that the back room at Zarzours was reserved for
a celebration for him. Friends from every TV and radio station stopped in for a visit. All at some point competitors, but not when
we would get together in celebration.
Some in this video are no longer with us, including Tommy but
those memories........ those sweet memories remain.
Chip Chapman talks to former Vice President and General Manager Ben Cagle and
Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame recipient Earl Freudenberg about some of the glory days at WDEF-TV..
My special thanks to the Bright family for giving me total access to record this video at the Three Sisters Bluegrass Festival a few years ago. It's not just feel-good music because of combining two New York state farm kids with Swiss-German immigrants who were anointed by Doc Watson many years ago - it's great music by any measure that will span the gamut from acoustic bluegrass to fully electric country rock. Lots of great music on this recording,
so pull up a chair and enjoy. I rated this group 5 Stars*****
Charles Henry Coolidge (born August 4, 1921) was a Chattanooga resident and former
United States Army technical sergeant and recipient of the United States military's highest decoration for valor-the Medal of Honor-for his heroism in France during
World War II. Listen now, To Charles Coolidge, in his own words, thanks to Earl Freudenberg, who discovered this long lost interview.
I have recorded hundreds of videos but this one from many years ago remains a top 10. My late wife Jayne and I decided to do a tour of the Hiwassee and bird watch, Eagles and Ducks Sandhill Cranes. As we slow cruised the river, we learned how the Cherokee people were forced off of this very land. That's why you, at the end of this video, see a subtle change to an education and the heartbreak of the Cherokee being forced off of this land. It was wrong then, It is still wrong today!
High Flight is a 1941 sonnet written by John Gillespie Magee Jr. and inspired by his experiences as a fighter pilot of the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War Il. This poem has been featured prominently in aviation memorials across the world, including that of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
This video demonstrates how our symbol of freedom,
the "Statue of Liberty" was pieced together.
My Mother and Father were at Pearl Harbor during World War II. They met and months later married at Pearl Harbor. My mother was a secretary to Chester Nimitz, who was in charge of the US Pacific fleet and my dad was a mechanic at the Pearl Harbor Navy yard.
Luther, James & me working on a radio commercial for Mt. Vernon Restaurant on 7/26/2012. Mt. Vernon has since closed. It was a local Chattanooga favorite for many many years.
I loved this dog! Cocoa had no problem letting me give her a haircut.
She was most likely the smartest dog I ever had.
It was simply about total trust.
Always loved those peaceful early Sunday mornings on Waconda Bay.
I've been making those wonderful trips to lake winnie since I was 16 years old. Do I still ride the Cannonball ? You Betcha!
It was fun to share some of my memories of, what I call some of the glory days of WDEF-TV, with Jed, @ JR of talk radio and Chip Chapman with WDEF. Thanks Guys.
~
Ben Cagle
All the real work was done early and the cameras were still set up, it's hard to not have a little fun with bogus commercials.
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