Friends, community remember long-time radio personality Scott Alan

May 30—For fans of the Indy Fuel, the Indianapolis Indians or the Indy Eleven over the past few years, you might recognize Scott Alan's voice as the one booming through the loudspeakers, cheering on a solid hit or a winning goal in his role as emcee.

And for a generation of radio listeners from Frankfort to Kokomo, you might recognize Alan's voice as co-host of the "Scott and Cindy Morning Show," a weekday morning program that appeared for roughly 15 years on Shine 99 WHSW.

It probably got you through a tough morning commute or a long bus ride to school.

But earlier this week, that recognizable voice fell silent.

Authorities say Alan was killed Monday evening during a car crash near Bloomington, Illinois.

He was 59 years old.

Officials state Alan — whose real name was Scott McIlrath — was in Illinois ahead of a Thursday press conference for the Bloomington Bison, a new minor league ice hockey team that shares the same owner as the Fuel.

Alan had also recently been hired as the Bison's vice president of operations, according to the team's website.

It was a dream job and an exciting new chapter, those close to Alan told the Tribune on Wednesday, which naturally made news of his death feel like a "punch in the gut."

"Scott was not just a proponent of his life and the radio station and the things he did, but he was a proponent for the city of Kokomo," Cindy Loveless said when reached Wednesday morning by telephone.

Olivet Nazarene University acquired Shine 99 last year from Kaspar Broadcasting, ultimately ending the working relationship between Loveless and Alan.

But for Loveless, who now works for WILO Radio in Frankfort, the friendship she shared with Alan extended far beyond the radio waves.

"I saw him last Friday," Loveless said. "And when we parted, we were just laughing and joking. That's what I'll always remember. He always just wanted to try and make me laugh or make my day better. If you knew him, you loved him. He just wanted the best for everyone."

Allan James, president of Iron Horse Broadcasting out of Logansport, agreed with Loveless.

James spent several years as an on-air radio personality with Kokomo's Z92.5, and he first met Alan in the late-1980s at various radio conventions.

"Yeah, it hit me hard," James said when asked what went through his mind when he heard news of Alan's death. "Radio is a tight family and a small circle in a lot of ways. So when word started to circulate among our peers yesterday, I was brought into the loop."

James, who said he was live on air when he heard the news, noted the station also paid a few moments of tribute to Alan during Tuesday's show.

And though James said he wasn't "buddy-buddy" with Alan, he believes they both respected each other.

And perhaps that's why Alan's death hit so hard, James said, because it seemed Alan still had so much life left to live.

"I just feel bad for it all," James said. "He had been down on his luck a bit with radio, and he had finally been offered something that I'm sure he was really proud of and excited for. And to never have a chance to see it through, that haunts me. When you have a dream and don't get a chance to experience it ... that's just cruel.

"People, no matter how big or small, the impact they have on people, especially when they die prematurely, that leaves a vacuum in the community," James said. "It leaves a void. ... I mean, we didn't really hang out at all. But in the world of radio, our paths were similar at times. And other times, they actually touched. And I don't take that stuff for granted."

Sam Beckom, general manager of the Kokomo BobKats, didn't take his time with Alan for granted, either.

Beckom said he first met Alan at an Indy Fuel game, and the pair immediately clicked when they learned one another was from Kokomo.

"So it was kind of this cool bond," Beckom told the Tribune.

Beckom added Alan would often watch Jackrabbits — when Beckom worked for the local baseball team — and BobKats games, and offer advice about what he saw during the games.

"He was always kind of an outlet to me," Beckom said. "And we always had a text message thread going about cool ideas and stuff that was going on."

And one area of Alan's life that Beckom said he paid close attention to was how Alan fully embraced the Kokomo community.

"Scott, of course worked for big organizations down in Indy, but he was a small-town guy," Beckom said. "He really liked Kokomo for sure. I feel like it was definitely his home.

"And he'd always say, 'You need to come down to Indy and watch a game,'" Beckom added. "'And he'd always leave me tickets at will call. Then he'd introduce me to people and say, 'This is Sam. He's the GM of the Kokomo BobKats.' And they'd be like, 'What is that?' And he'd talk about how they were his local professional basketball team. He was just always proud of that. He had a lot of pride in the local teams here."

Community-minded is also the way Indiana Heartland Federal Credit Union CEO Buffey Hedrick said she'll always remember Alan.

A member of the IHFCU's board of directors for several years, Alan was charismatic and funny, Hedrick told the Tribune via email Wednesday afternoon.

"He loved Kokomo, and he loved the people of Kokomo," she wrote in part. "... He always made those around him feel special. ... He always had my back and gave me so much wise advice. I really can't imagine him not being present in my life. I feel blessed to have known him and love him, and I was blessed to be loved by him."

Funeral arrangements for Alan are pending.