Friends: Dave Malarkey was Butler’s voice, director and ‘social media’
Dave Malarkey was more than just a narrator on the radio informing residents of the news of the day. His love for Butler and its residents, and the individual impact he had on the town, cannot be overstated, friends and colleagues said.
“Dave always asked the right questions. He seemed to always care. He seemed to really love radio,” said Tyler Friel, news director for Butler Radio Network. “He respected all facets of Butler. He very much respected the audience, too. He always felt they could learn something on a daily basis.”
Malarkey, who died on Aug. 1 at the age of 78, spent 52 years of his life bringing daily news and knowledge to his listeners. In addition to the morning news show, Malarkey hosted the afternoon talk radio show “It’s Your Turn.” His involvement in the local news, arts and entertainment landscapes was extensive.
Anybody that was a local leader, involved in community events or the local theater or performances, probably ended up on the radio with Malarkey, Friel said, who described him as “such a conversationalist” and genuinely curious. Time and time again, when guests would appear on the radio and get nervous, Malarkey would make them feel at ease, Friel said. In an era of bombastic personalities and hot takes, “Dave just gave good radio.”
“People don’t realize how much time and effort he put into all of that. He had a passion for radio. He was always trying to learn more and inform the listeners,” Friel said. “He did the job for so long because he was genuinely himself.”
Beyond Butler Radio, he acted in, directed and produced numerous shows and served on the board of directors for Butler Little Theatre and Musical Theatre Guild.
“He was always a pleasure to work with and he was one of the funniest guys that you would ever meet. He was able to let that shine through. He had great comic timing,” Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy said. “He was an incredibly bright man and he was also able to bring that through his work on the radio.”
Dandoy, who appeared on Malarkey’s show numerous times over the years, recalls first meeting him around 1975 while doing a music guild show. Over time, Dandoy directed shows Malarkey was in. He vividly remembers one show where Malarkey played Felix in “The Odd Couple.“
Malarkey always found ways to share culture and entertainment with his listeners, Dandoy said. Dandoy recalled a time when he and Butler resident Tom Menchak, who he played in bands with growing up, going on Malarkey’s show for the 50th anniversary of the Beatles performing on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” They spent the show talking about how bands like the Beatles influenced local musicians over time.
“No matter what the subject was, he knew a little bit about it, but the other thing was that he always respected the person he was talking to,” Dandoy said. “I thought that was amazing. Sometimes you’d get somebody on there who had something crazy going on in there life or in the community, it didn’t matter. Dave would talk to them like it was the most important thing in the world.”
Malarkey was also proud of his Irish heritage — so much that he traveled back 13 times to visit the Synge School of Irish Literature and Drama.
“People have known him forever. We traveled to Ireland together in a group in the early ‘80s and we spent 10 days going around London and Scotland and went all around the country,” said Sue Collar, a longtime volunteer with Butler Little Theatre. “We’ve done shows together and you could tell how much he cared about the theater. He was an all-around wonderful guy.”
Malarkey is described as an avid golfer, a huge Penn State fan and, despite being a reserved individual, “genuinely interested in what you were saying,” Dandoy said. “He was a very curious person.”
Malarkey was in a way “the social media of Butler” for a time, Dandoy said.
“It was a very cool experience whenever I started working for the radio station, everyone said, ‘Oh wow, you got to work with Dave Malarkey.” The reputation he carried, for a long time he was how everyone got their morning news here,” Friel said. “Dave was a regular part of their mornings.”
