Chuck Dulane

Radio has been an important part of Chuck's life from his early days on a Maryland farm during the Great Depression until now as a veteran announcer on PRE "During childhood and adolescence", says Chuck, "radio was my intro to the world – the big band remote broadcasts, the Ed Murrow news reports from London as the Nazi bombs rained down, and so much more". In 1943 Chuck joined the army; became an anti-aircraft artillery specialist and shipped out to the Pacific Theatre on the day following the allied D-Day landings in Europe.  When the war ended, Chuck was with his unit on Okinawa, scene of the last great battle of WWII.  Now, with some free time his favorite activity was hanging out at the Armed Forces Radio station on the island.  Though not a staff member, he was allowed to read some announcements and station breaks.  From that time on he knew what he wanted to be. Back home in Maryland in 1946, Chuck spent over a year trying, unsuccessfully, to land a job, any job, in radio in the Washington, D.C. area.  Then one day in June of '47, he wandered into the studios of WGAY, a new station in Silver spring, MD, a D.C. suburb. Bingo!  He was hired as a "trainee", and thus a career in radio was launched.  WGAY, founded by the legendary John Kluge, became the nucleus of the Metromedia Broadcast Group. In the early 60s, Chuck left broadcasting and established a promotional products sales business, which he operated until 1995, when he and his wife Jane "retired" to New Bern.  A year later he was recruited as a volunteer for the Radio Reading Service for the Blind which is broadcast on a sub-carrier of the WTEB 89.3 signal.  Then one morning in June of 1998, Chuck opened his e-mail to find a message from the WTEB program director:  "Would you be interested in being a part-time announcer on our classical music programs?"  His one-word response was "Absolutely!" On June 25, 2006, Chuck Dulane celebrated eight years with P.R.E. – he's still going strong and still loving it.

Finley Woolston

Finley Woolston's  voice is very familiar across Eastern North Carolina to listeners of WTEB 89.3 FM, Public Radio East's News and Classical Music station. For over 20 years Finley has hosted a variety of classical programs and currently is the popular classical music announcer for PRE's Classical Morning Concert, heard each weekday morning from 9:00 am to 12 noon.  Finley is also the producer and host The Choral Tradition, a program dedicated exclusively to choral music,heard each Sunday at 3:00 p.m. on PRE. In addition to his performing schedule, church duties and responsibilities on Public Radio East, he is frequently asked to act as Master of Ceremonies for numerous community events. Finley was born and raised on the farms and small towns of Nebraska and Kansas. Within a few short months of high school graduation in 1966 he moved to California. He soon enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in early 1967 and was initially assigned as a radio operator, he was changed to infantry and completed basic rifleman training at Camp Pendleton, CA. He then volunteered for and completed reconnaissance training and was assigned to 5th Reconnaissance Battalion in Camp Pendleton, CA. He was transferred to the Republic of Viet Nam in September 1967 and served a 13 month tour as a rifleman with 2nd Battalion 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. Upon returning to the United States and promotion to Corporal, he was assigned to 1st Battalion 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, NC. In early 1969 he volunteered for and completed training as a Marine Security Guard at Henderson Hall, Arlington, VA and was assigned to the Marine Security Guard Detachment, U.S. Embassy, Ottawa, Canada. He was promoted to Sergeant and re-enlisted for assignment as a Counterintelligence Specialist. He completed the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Agent Course at Fort Huachuca, AZ in 1971 and was assigned to the 3rd Counterintelligence Team, 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa. He next served from 1972-1976 with the 11th Counterintelligence Team, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. While there he completed advanced training in counterintelligence and was promoted to Staff Sergeant. In 1975 he was assigned to Naval Investigative Service/Naval Intelligence and served on special assignment in conjunction with the fall of Saigon, Republic of South Viet Nam. In 1976 he returned to the Marine Security Guard Battalion as a Detachment Commander and was assigned to the U.S. Embassy, Lagos, Nigeria. In 1977 he was chosen to open a new Marine Security Guard Detachment at the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia and became the first member of the U.S. Armed Forces to be stationed in that country. By 1980 he had been promoted to Gunnery Sergeant and returned to Okinawa for his second assignment with the 3rd Counterintelligence Team. He was then transferred to the III Marine Amphibious Force on Okinawa as the Staff Counterintelligence Chief. In 1985 he transferred to the United States Navy as a Chief Petty Officer and completed basic and advanced training as a Religious Program Specialist. He served in Upstate New York from 1982-1985, together with a U.S. Navy Chaplain, as a two man team responsible for recruiting civilian clergy from the entire northeastern United States into the Navy Chaplain Corps. He was promoted to Senior Chief Petty Officer and in 1985 assigned as the Senior Religious Program Specialist, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, NC. He retired and transferred to the Fleet Reserve in 1988. His personal awards and decorations include: Navy Achievement Medal with Combat "V" (two awards); Combat Action Ribbon; Naval Unit Citation (two awards); Meritorious Unit Citation; Humanitarian Action Medal; Viet Nam Service Medal; Viet Nam Campaign Medal; Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry; Navy Good Conduct; Marine Corps Good Conduct; Expert Rifle; and Expert Pistol. Woolston has been married for 35 years to Karen Kealey Woolston of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Karen is a GS-11 serving as the head of civilian training at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, NC.  Their son John and daughter Amy are both on active service with the U.S. Navy. After retirement from active duty, Woolston attended college at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, NC. He transferred to the University of North Carolina in Wilmington where he was a cum laude student majoring in music and vocal performance. He was a member of the Saratoga-Potsdam Chorus of the Crane School of Music, Potsdam, NY. The chorus performed major choral works with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Saratoga, NY under the direction of conductors including Robert Shaw, Eric Leinsdorf and Dennis Russell-Davies. He has performed with many Eastern North Carolina choruses, including Pro Musica of New Bern, the Carteret Chorale, the UNC-W Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, and the Choir of St. James Episcopal Church in Wilmington. He is a long-time member of the Schola Cantorum, the official choir of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina. In 2004 he founded the vocal ensemble Sine Nomine Singers, a chamber choir of 16 professional and select amateur singers. He both conducts and sings in the group. He has been the featured tenor soloist in many works, including the Evangelist in J. S. Bach's St. John Passion, Handel's Messiah and W. A. Mozart's Requiem, to name just a few.  Finley has toured extensively with American choruses in Europe and has sung in chorus in Carnegie Hall. He has performed in recital throughout Eastern North Carolina. He has completed three extended musical residencies in England's Gloucester Cathedral with Schola Cantorum. Woolston became the Music Director and Conductor of the Crystal Coast Choral Society in 1990. The Choral Society is a community chorus of over 70 singers acknowledged to be one of the best in Eastern North Carolina. He has conducted numerous performances of Handel's Messiah, as well as Vivaldi's Gloria, and J. S. Bach's Magnificat, to name just a few of the major choral works presented by the Choral Society. He was extended a special invitation by the conductor to prepare members of the Choral Society to perform the Gloria of Antonio Vivaldi with the New England Conservatory Orchestra in Carnegie Hall in 2003. He was asked to prepare the Choral Society for a return engagement in Carnegie Hall to perform the Requiem of Gabriel Faure in June 2005. Woolston is the Music Director of Richlands United Methodist Church, Richlands, NC. As a church musician he has been instrumental in expanding interfaith and interracial church services in his community. He was also recently chosen to produce, host and perform at the 2006 Lay Rally of the United Methodist New Bern (NC) District.