Barry  Farber, who died last night (May 6), was the most unusual person I've  ever known. He was called "the dean of talk show hosts." I called him,  "My Jewish friend." He called me, "My Christian friend." We often spoke  of "getting together for lunch or dinner the next time" I was in New  York City. I am very saddened that it never happened because I stopped  flying in recent years except when forced to do so.

Barry  had two children during his first marriage, and he married the second  time to Sara Pentz, a television news reporter.  Sara often appeared  with him on the show and was as kind as Barry.  He emailed me saying,  "I'm from Greensboro, North Carolina; 29 miles from Winston-Salem and my  'bride' (September 3, 2008) is a Protestant from Columbus, Ohio, and  she never dated a Jew OR a Southerner until we met. I introduced her to  grits. I've never had better; Sara hits just the right consistency, not  too watery or too concrete.  However, I must have given her a hasty  briefing when I first brought grits home from the supermarket, because  to this day, Sara calls grits, 'That Jewish breakfast food.'

"Oh,  dear. You got me going. They tell of the rabbi who arrived for a speech  in Anniston, Alabama, and to his delight and amazement, there was a  kosher delicatessen right across from the train station.  He thought  he'd be in gastronomical exile until he got back to New York, but the  waitress brought him a huge platter of corned beef, pastrami, kishke,  stuffed halse, braunschweiger, hamentashen—and in the middle, a huge  pile of gleaming grits.

"'Excuse me,' said the Rabbi. 'Could you tell me what THAT is?' he said, pointing to the grits.

"'That's  grits,' answered the local non-Jewish waitress in a thick Southern  accent.  'I don't know WHAT in the h*** the rest of that stuff is!'"

The New York Daily News reported  Barry as a native of Baltimore; however, he grew up in Greensboro,  North Carolina. He loved and respected the South, especially North  Carolina. Usually, when we ended a conversation, he would often say,  "Please give your beautiful wife from Forsyth County [Winston Salem] my  regards." 

He  emailed me once saying, Please thank your Mrs. for being so nice to me  over the phone.  Not only does she sound unusually friendly, but  friendly in the tones of my Old South!"

He  told me of being the only Jew in the Greensboro Public School System  and listening to the Bible being read and the singing of Christian  hymns. He said, "I didn't think that was unusual since they were  Christians. That's what one would expect." 

David Kupelian, managing  editor of the major news website WorldNetDaily said, "The best talk  hosts have the mysterious ability to draw the very best out of their  guests, and that was Barry. He was unfailingly warm, gracious,  knowledgeable, fresh, and effusively but genuinely enthusiastic about  and interested in his guests."

David  is right on target. I appeared as a guest on Barry's nightly talk show  out of New York City at least 55 times over the years, and Barry was the  epitome of kindness, graciousness, and professionalism. He never  interrupted me or suggested that I not hit a forbidden button. I was  never restricted once, although he got some major flak from some  sponsors when I used the word, nigger, citing it as an offensive word "that my children never heard in our home." 

Then  I ridiculed the publications, both liberals and conservatives who  substitute the silly "n-word" rather than using the offensive word in a  non-offensive manner. Barry also permitted me to deal rather vividly  with homosexuality and Martin Luther King, Jr. issues two or three  times. Any talk show host willing to tell the truth about those two  issues is not only current, correct, but courageous.

After  my column on homosexuality, he wrote, "The purpose of this hasty note  is, NEVER BEFORE have I ever READ under a valid by-line, descriptions  like yours!  I not only agree with you, but I fiercely admire your guts,  particularly in this age when political correctness rules!" He then  invited me to do a show on the subject.  

Barry  Farber was the poster boy for courage. He would tackle any subject  without fear. He emailed me about my column dealing with Federal money  going to disaster victims. He wrote, "This is the most courageous column  I've ever read. If you've got the guts to write it, I've got the guts  to talk about it with you. Okay?"

We  talked about giving tax dollars away without any constitutional right  to do so however great the need and however popular it might be. I also  used Davy Crockett's courageous stand as a U.S. Congressman against  "free" money.  

Talkers magazine  publisher Michael Harrison said: "Barry Farber was one of the founding  fathers of talk radio whose influential career spanned both the modern  and pre-modern eras of the format. He described his longevity in the  business as 'being big in the old days and old in the big days.' He was  among the finest public speakers of his time and a true wordsmith who  served as an inspiration for generations of broadcasters who strived to  be artists as well as communicators."

Michael hit the bull's eye.

Barry  was a best-selling author of 14 books in over 30 foreign languages with  over one million copies sold. He also wrote articles appearing in The New York Times, Reader's Digest, The Washington Post, and the Saturday Review, plus he was a regular columnist for the major news website WorldNetDaily (WND).

His first talk show began in 1960 called Barry Farber's WINS Open Mike.  It was the only talk show on what was then a rock n' roll station and  was on weeknights at 11 p.m. He left that job for an evening talk show  on WOR in 1962 and became the all-night host in 1967. Barry wrote, "I was told I kept more people up nights than Mexican food."

In 1990, he became a national talk-show host on the ABC Radio Network,  and in 1991 he was named "Talk Show Host of The Year" by the National  Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts. Farber was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2014.

As  Sean Hannity said of Farber: "He blazed the trail for all of us today  in talk radio." Well, Joe Pyne was the first to hit the big time in Los  Angeles in 1967, reaching ten million listeners daily. But Joe was a  "shock jock" comparable to Morton Downey, Jr. who often yelled at his  guests and blew smoke in their faces. I did the Downey show a few times,  and he was always very kind to me even when the subject was AIDS, and  his brother was dying of the disease. Barry was much too sophisticated  and gracious to use shock antics simply to spike his ratings—and revenue.

Barry spoke or studied more than 25 languages, and he used that ability when he was assigned to the National Security Agency as a Russian translator in 1952. After  serving in the Korean War, he became a journalist. In 1956, while  serving a correspondent in Europe, he covered the Hungarian revolt  against Soviet occupation.

My  appearances on his show were always a highlight of my day giving me an  opportunity to talk about my books or columns or website. Some talk show  hosts are fearful that their guests might sell a few books or draw  readers to their blog or website. Barry was very generous in promoting  his guests.

In the beginning, he insisted on calling me "Dr. Boys" and going on to provide my bona fides, providing  some credibility for the audience. He was always formal on the air with  "Dr." or "Rev." or "Dr. Rev." however, in conversation and emails he  ended up calling me "Don" or "Dr. Don."

Barry  and I agreed, as far as I know, on all the social, financial, and  political issues. Of course, we disagreed about religion; after all, he  was an outspoken (yet not obnoxious) Jew, and I'm an outspoken (yet not  obnoxious, seldom) Fundamentalist Christian. He often gave me an open  door to express my biblical views on many issues.

While  Barry dealt with controversy, he didn't seem to have an agenda. I do. I  want to make the Gospel aware, available, and to be accepted by the  world.  Barry often aggressively opened the door for me to make the  Gospel, or Christmas, or Easter very clear to every listener. Of course,  he knew that was my agenda. Furthermore, I want to give every liberal  constant heartburn and insomnia as I prove that they are the most  untruthful, unfair, and unnecessary people on earth.

Barry  emailed me, saying, "You don't have to be Christian to love your  spirited, slashing, and totally successful defense of God.  You don't  need a Divinity degree from Harvard to get all your points [regarding  evolution].  Flat tires may just happen; [but] not a universe.  I've  never understood how an atheist could survive any ten minutes of a basic  astronomy course."

Today, I  realized that I can read scores of Barry's emails if I ever get  discouraged, despondent, or simply down, and I can get a quick boost  from Barry's hyperboles. There is no way I can get away with using some  of his milder compliments to me, but I'll try.

He  wrote, "Dear Dr. Don, your energy is a great crowd-pleaser,  audience-builder, and argument-winner. If we could tie a string around  your waist and dip you into the Hudson River like a tea-bag at around  79th Street, within half an hour, you'd have SODA WATER from the Statue  of Liberty to the George Washington Bridge!"

"Who  says only idiots stand up and cheer and howl with laughter -- in their  own apartments.  I've been trying for half an hour already to calm down  enough to thank you and congratulate you on what may be the best column  ever written...Great job, Dear Friend.  Pretend this is an invitation  for any night next week -- 8 to 9 Eastern -- and if you like my column a  tiny fraction as much as I like yours, I'll be as proud as a dog with a  hem-stitched tail!"

"You are absolutely the kindest and most generous, and you really know how to elevate the spirits without illegal substances!"

Or, "Don, this piece ought to become part of the Constitution!  And as is.  No amendments!"

Or, this one about gun control. "This is one of the greatest pieces ever written.  I'll be calling!"    

I  could go on and on for pages, but someone out there might accuse me of  OVER tooting my own horn, and I'm a very sensitive guy! Surely, I  wouldn't be so shameless to do that. But then, if I don't toot my horn,  no one else will now. And, it is my horn to toot.

Yes, my friend died last night, and I wept today.

I  am so thankful my path crossed with Barry Farber many times over the  years and for the opportunity to express my appreciation for his  friendship.

After all, my Best Friend is a Jew, and He is still alive.