Thomas Barberi

1943 - 2021

Thomas Dale Barberi

March 21, 1943 ~

December 24, 2021

'The Voice of Reason'

Salt Lake City, Utah—Utah, Tom Barberi loved you. Loved you the way a convert is often a more fervent congregant than those born into a religion. Loved you starting with his first trip in 1971. Courting Tom to give up radio at KLIV San Jose, the KALL 910 station manager drove him up to the capitol building. Tom looked over the beautiful Salt Lake Valley and declared, "This is the place!"

His mission to Legalize Adulthood in Utah all began in The Garlic Capitol of the World, Gilroy, California March 21, 1943. He was born to Sal and Anita Barberi on a prune farm where he loved to play with his pet chicken Petey and tried to stay out of his older brother Norman's way.

At 18, he walked into the San Jose City College football coach's office and informed him that he wanted to join the football team. Tom also informed him that he had never actually played football before. It was a firm "no", but Tom came to practice anyway -every day- until coach finally relented. He went on to play defensive linebacker for Idaho State University and Cal Poly until injury forced him to hang up his cleats and pick up a microphone.

From top of the hour time checks at KEEN San Jose, to weekends at KOAG Arroyo Grande and the KSLY "Good Guy" in San Luis Obispo, he honed his skills of wisecracking and spinning the hits. Tom's big break came with the morning show at KLIV in San Jose. His radio name was 'Tom Berry' because station management in their infinite wisdom thought 'Barberi' was too ethnic. His great work at KLIV caught the ear of KALL 910, so Tom packed up his headphones and headed to Salt Lake City.

The loves of Tom's life were radio and football, so finding himself at KALL 910 home of the University of Utah Utes was the perfect match. The one problem he saw was the lack of fan support for the school. Hard to believe there was a time only a few hundred people would show up for Ute games. Tom suggested a radio station promotion that introduced a football tradition he learned in California – tailgating. From selling a few dozen tailgating tickets for $1 to the 50,000+ fans that now pack Rice-Eccles stadium every week…you have Tom Barberi to thank for that vision.

From 1971-2003 on KALL, Tom not only drew attention to Utah athletics, he shined a much-needed light on Utah politics and culture. No cow too sacred, no politician untouchable, Tom worked toward Legalizing Adulthood in Utah. He not only did this through his radio show, he also wrote a weekly column in The Salt Lake Tribune for 18 years and was a regular contributor to City Weekly and Salt Lake Magazine. TV stints included The Whine Cellar and Corner Table.

Generations of Utah radio listeners looked to the Barberi Show for a laugh and his unique spin on the day's news to help them get where they needed to go and give them something to talk about when they got there.

July 4, 1976 fell on a Sunday. The official Utah celebration of the Bicentennial occurred on Saturday the 3rd. Tom thought that was absurd, so he organized the KALL Radio Bicentennial People's Parade on the 4th, as it should be. Almost 7,000 Utah fans showed up with homemade floats and decorated vehicles parading from downtown up to the capitol…which was closed because it was Sunday.

Rush Limbaugh, Don Imus and Larry King were just some of the contemporaries with which The Tom Barberi Show was listed in Talkers Magazine's list of the 100 most important talk shows in the nation. 2005 saw Tom inducted into the Utah Broadcaster's Hall of Fame.

Tom's other greatest loves were his daughters, Gina and Mikelle, his wife, Melanie for over 31 years, her daughters, Brandi, April and Wendi, and many grandchildren.

Ultimately, we all receive unwelcome bits of news of one type or another as the years go by. Tom was not spared and spent the last few years out of view dealing with the natural accumulation of life well lived - coupled with a diagnosis of MS. While it may have slowed his body, it didn't slow his mind, his wit nor his willingness to sit down for a Saturday ball game and cheer on his Utes. Ultimately, nature takes its course and we should all be so lucky to find ourselves with the ability of doing what we want, when we want to do it for as long as we possibly can. That was Tom's happy fate.

If you would like an appropriate way to honor Tom, please think of donating to either the MS Society or pick a charity that means something to you. Tom spent an enormous amount of time helping any charity that needed the spotlight and twinkle his attention would provide. And after your good deed, pour yourself a scotch.

Tom always said his favorite day of the week was Monday. He couldn't wait to get back behind the microphone to talk to all of you. Thank you for being there to listen. To our good fortune, the abundant memories and the prolific archives continue to tell Tom's stories. Discovered in a column reflecting on the passing of his beloved friend George Hatch, he penned," Feeling ever so more mortal on a daily basis, I thought that I should write my own obit…" He wrote, "He came, made some people laugh and left…."

Utah by 5….trust me! Ciao!

(A memorial is being planned)