Robert J. Baron

Robert J. BARON To his listening public he was known as "Madman Moskowitz" and he graced the airways for 28 years at various Seattle-Tacoma-Everett radio stations. Robert J. Baron died Friday after a very brief illness, surrounded by a core of his extended family. His longtime friendships were a source of pride for him and he loved them all dearly. Robert was born November 17, 1944 in Orange, NJ and grew up in Pasadena, CA. As a child and teenager he appeared as an extra in many films including, "White Christmas", "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Bye, Bye Birdie", to name only a few. Robert was a passionate man on many levels and his music was his art. The idiosyncratic tunes he played on his radio show were only the "tip of the iceberg" of his musical tastes and his expansive music collection. He had over 50,000 LP records, 2,000 reels of tape, 2,000 CD's and an immense movie collection. His intelligent, down-home style on the radio, encouraging his listeners to call in and make musical requests to sidekick "Nathan Detroit" was successful year after year. Robert was a cat-lover for all of his life. He talked to listeners about his beloved Atticus, (named for the character Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird"), for 22 years until the cat's death last year. He shared his sorrow with his listeners and dedicated a show to his passing. Shortly after, he adopted a new cat, named him Shelby and welcomed him to his home. A few weeks later he changed Shelby's name to Atticus J. because he could not get out of the habit of calling him by his old friend's name. Robert called himself a "Keeper of the Past" and could expand for hours on the meaning of that phrase. His eclectic collection of old mementos and "treasures" included his 1968 Volvo, "Sonja", with 465,000 miles on her. Robert took this milestone as a point of personal pride. Robert was a middle school teacher for 35 years, both in Los Angles and in the Edmonds School District. He retired at the end of the 2005-6 school year and was looking forward to some leisure time to explore other radio opportunities. Robert is survived by Catherine Sinclair, companion/fiancée/close friend, (in that order). His close core of friends included Nathan and Kami Judson, Monti Hind, Suzanne Fritch, Ken and Mary Ross, Wayne Wilkes, Tita Dodson and too many more to mention. Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, August 26th at 10:30 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church, 5041 9th Ave NE, Seattle. Remembrances may be made to PAWS, PO Box 1037, Lynnwood, WA 98046. Hoffner, Fisher & Harvey