Good Morning, Little Rock

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Waking up at 3:00 in the morning is not something most people want to do. The streets are deserted, and the sun is never up. But for Mr. Adam Dunaway, also known as Pool Boy on Alice 107.7, it is his daily routine.

Mr. Dunaway said, “My alarm goes off at 3:20 I get to the radio station at 4:15, then I plan for the day’s show. At 6:00, the ‘Heather and Pool Boy’ show begins, and we go from there. Most people listen for about 10 to 15 minutes during their commute. My job is to make you laugh and get listeners into a good mood for work.”

Many of his listeners will often wonder why people call him Pool Boy. Mr. Dunaway said, “During my days at Catholic, I used to clean pools every day after school. Over time, it turned into learning how to fix sinks, outlets, and that sort of stuff.  A while after I went to University of Arkansas, I ended up applying for a job at Alice, and I put that I cleaned pools and fixed things on my resumé.”

Mrs. Heather Brown said, “I met him in 2005 when he applied for a job as an ‘intern’ here at Alice 107.7.  We needed some help with stunts and producing bits for the morning show.  He walked into the studio and was quiet and reserved, but we thought we’d give him a try anyway.

“He earned his nickname, Pool Boy, because he was always having to run errands for us and be at our beck and call,” Mrs. Brown said. “One day a lady who used to work with us heard me ask him to go get something for me and she yelled ‘Oh Pool Boy!’ like one would do at a beach resort asking for a drink. I then started to call him Pool Boy for everything.”

Mr. Dunaway has become so fond of his nickname that he has even added it to his real name. Mr. Dunaway said, “After my nickname became popular, I started receiving checks from people addressed to Pool Boy. Since it was not addressed to me, I could not cash them in. So, I had to apply for a copyright for my nickname in order to use checks addressed to me. Now, I also have credit cards under the name of Pool Boy.”

Throughout all of the time Mrs. Brown has known Mr. Dunaway, her favorite moment with him is also one of the most recent. Mrs. Brown said, “My best experience with Pool Boy had to be when he became a father for the first time.  Before that, it was last year when he and his wife, Jenny, married.  I have seen him go from ‘I’ll never get married!’ and ‘I hate kids!’ to being happily married with a sweet baby boy.”

Whether he is on or off the air, Mr. Dunaway does not slack off. Mrs. Brown said, “He is a hard worker and a busy bee.  He is always running to the next gig.  He always has something he is doing on the side, whether it’s a project or fundraiser.”

In addition to running fundraisers and hosting a morning radio show, Mr. Dunaway is on the board of directors for the Children’s Protection Center which is child abuse hotline for children to notify authorities. Mr. Dunaway said, “I started as a volunteer, but when I saw how much they desperately needed help, I decided to join the board. The Children’s Protection Center is a place for the children to tell their side of the story to a properly-trained child interviewer.  The instances are recorded so the children have to tell their story only once. Child abuse is traumatic for the kids, so only telling it once helps them. It is a topic nobody likes to talk about, but it is important. I am so glad to be a part of it and help out.”

Mr. Dunaway has been very active in the school’s community; one particular time, which includes Mr. Steve Straessle, sticks out. Mr. Dunaway said, “A few years ago, I made a  gentleman’s bet with Mr. Straessle during the Rocket 5K. ”

Mr. Straessle said, “To make the Rocket 5K more interesting, we made a bet. I do not quite remember what my end of the bet was, but if he was to lose by more than two minutes, I would get to choose where he put his next tattoo.”

Mr. Straessle said, “He had to run in a typical school uniform: a tie, button-down shirt, and khakis. Wearing that while running the 5K caused him to become overheated, and I took advantage. I absolutely destroyed him in the race.

“Although, I think he secretly was happy that he lost because he would get a tattoo of a rocket. I originally wanted to put it on his forehead, but that never materialized; we settled for putting it on his arm.”

Mr. Dunaway said, “After I lost, I had some girls from Mount Saint Mary draw several pictures of rockets for my tattoo. Then, I had listeners of my show choose which rocket I would have tattooed onto my arm. I do really like that tattoo.”

Although Pool Boy is recognizable mostly by his voice on the radio, people do recognize him during his free time. Pool Boy said, “I am noticed mostly in grocery stores when I am talking to someone. It’s actually pretty funny when they notice me. I’ll be in the checkout line, and someone will come up to me and say ‘Are you Pool Boy? I thought you would be fatter.’ I guess my voice on the radio conveys to people that I am fat.”

According to Mr. Dunaway, if one truly wishes to have a job involving radio shows, he or she must keep trying. Mr. Dunaway said, “It’s not too hard to enter a radio job because of internships, but I never gave up. I always did what was asked of me. If you like and are willing to start from the bottom and work your way up, do it, and eventually you will get to where you want to be. There will be many times where you fail at something, but you will learn from it for the next time. Now, I can not imagine doing anything else. I truly love what I do.”

Andrew Cline

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