Every town has one. Ours was Jerry Desmond. The local radio voice who does the morning news, the youth baseball games and when the high elected official comes to town.

Desmond had a New Yorkers gravely, newsman’s voice, quite the contrary to the warming tones of what we had in Vicksburg. And while Ron Anderson has not been broadcasting for locally since 2009 from River 101, he is still a beloved member of this community, just without a mic.

Health problems forced the jovial Anderson away from broadcasting. Last week, he was taken to a hospital after suffering an aneurysm. He remains there today.

His Facebook page is cluttered with well-wishers and pictures of Ron — always smiling, doing whatever needed to be done to lighten the mood. For him, everything was upbeat. Early in the morning, when the alarm clock radio had Ron bellowing, “Good morning, Vicksburg,” it was difficult to be in a lousy mood.

He was the perfect fit to be a local radio celebrity.

The Warren Central graduate mastered the ability to cover the stories the same, whether it’s a college football championship or a 8-year-olds’ baseball game, call it as if it is the most important event ever. For many, it was. Ron always knew that.

Radio hasn’t been the same in Vicksburg since Anderson’s departure. Local stations feature locally generated shows, but nothing that would compare to Ron’s years in the radio booth.

Updates on his conditions this past week vary from positive to cautious optimism. Two things are clear — he has plenty of friends and wants out of that hospital.

The road to recovery will be difficult. Thoughts and prayers are flowing in daily, and it would be nice this morning to think of Ron and what he means to Vicksburg, and for a speedy recovery.

I used to see him just about every morning. We’d chat about local football, the New York Jets or my beat-up dog. The meetings were filled with infectious laughter, just the way he wanted it to be at 6:30 in the morning.

I always wondered what my friend’s secret to being so chipper so early every morning, but it turns out there really was no secret at all.

It simply was Ron being Ron.

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Sean P. Murphy can be reached at smurphy@vicksburgpost.com