A well-known “voice of Vicksburg” will turn off his microphone Friday.

Ron Anderson of River 101’s “The Hometown Morning Show” and operations manager for K-Hits 104.5 FM and River 101.3 FM, told his listening audience Monday morning that he is retiring from his 36-year career for health reasons.

“I decided that it was time to go home and heal up,” said Anderson, who has battled rheumatoid arthritis for 26 years. “I really don’t have mixed emotions about it. I know I’ve got to go home and take care of myself. I know I’ve had a job that most people wish they could enjoy as much as I have.”

The thought of retirement was also nudged on by his wife, Dutch, who said she’s been telling him to retire for the past year.

“His health isn’t going to get any better” while he’s working, she said. “We’ll just have to take it one day at a time.” Also, Dutch Anderson, a nurse at River Region Medical Center, mentioned she’ll have a short list of “honey-dos” when he gets to the house.

In addition to the arthritis, Anderson has diabetes and is insulin-dependent. He also has had numerous surgeries from which he said he has been healing slowly.

“I’m just not physically able to do the things the job entails,” he said.

Born in Nebraska, Anderson, 57, grew up in Vicksburg. He began his career as a radio announcer in 1973 after college at the former Northeast Louisiana University.

One of his first jobs was as a nighttime radio announcer for WKYV radio, one of the first FM stations in the state.

“After I came back home,” Anderson said Monday,  “I really wanted to be in radio, so I came across the owner of the radio station, Bob Bishop, who said, ‘Hey, we’re looking for someone to work midnights,’ and I said, ‘I’m your guy.’

“They needed a warm body and I wanted to do it,” he said.

It was only months after his first day on the job that floods hit the Hamilton Heights neighborhood off Halls Ferry Road.

He remembers the station reaching out to help.

“As a service to the community, that’s what I’m proudest of,” he said. “I’ve been able to help with things like garage sales and fall festivals. Retirement doesn’t mean I won’t be of service to the community — I just won’t be on the radio.”

But he’ll miss the community interaction, he said.

“My favorite thing to do, as far as the radio,” he said, “is anybody from the age of 3- to 10-years-old who is having a birthday and I find out they’re going to school, and they’re in the car — I’ll wish them a happy birthday while they’re in the car.”

Through nearly four decades, Anderson has been a witness to changes in the radio industry, from spinning vinyl records to digital programming and audio.

“There are things we can do that we couldn’t do before,” he said. “The processing for the stations, microphones and technology as far as computers are involved, has just been wonderful.”

Anderson said he expects to drop by the station after retirement. “You can’t ever stay away. If it wasn’t for the health concerns, I thought I was going to be a 70-year-old DJ still having fun, but it just didn’t work out that way.”

Anderson said he is passing the crown to fellow announcer Evelyn Parker, a Rolling Fork native.

“She is going to do a wonderful job here,” he said. “In fact, she’s been in here with me for a couple of days now.”

Parker has been co-hosting the morning show.

“He has been slowly guiding me into doing more community events,” she said. “I’m excited, and I put a lot of thought into what I want the show to be — which is just to have a good time.”

Parker, who started her career in radio sales, has more than 10 years of experience.

Anderson said he and his wife also will focus on children and grandchildren. They have four children and 10 grandchildren. Two grandchildren, Tyler Daniel Smith, 4, and Hadyn Anderson Smith, 22 months, died in a house fire on May 17.

“That was a very stressful time and it still is,” Anderson said.

As for activities after retirement, Anderson, an avid Scrabble player, said he would like to coordinate Scrabble tournaments at the Senior Center.

Also, he said, he would like to catch a few episodes of TV’s “Judge Judy.”

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Contact Manivanh Chanprasith at mchan@vicksburgpost.com