Remembering Dale Mann: Southwest Louisiana’s Radio Legend

As I sit down to talk about my friend Dale Mann, I am taken back to all our times together. I remember all the events we were part of together, all our talks about radio, his experiences, and the wonderful stories I would love to listen to Dale tell me.

Dale was one of the nicest, kindest, and giving person I know. We were always friends because we both were in radio but we got even closer around 2007 after my father, Dave Soileau, passed away. You see Dale and my dad Dave went to high school together at LaGrange High School in Lake Charles and were friends. My dad also was in radio for many years working with Dale at stations like Q101 and KBIG 99 which is now Gator 99.5.

I feel like when my dad passed, Dale and I became even closer. We talked a lot, did remotes and emceed festivals together, gave each other Mardi Gras emcee jobs, and would just call each other to talk. Dale loved his wife, his children, his family, and helping and supporting our community here in Southwest Louisiana.

Dale Mann (Goodman) has and will always have the most recognizable voice in Southwest Louisiana radio. When you heard him begin to speak, you knew it was Dale Mann on the microphone. I grew up listening to Dale when I was a kid here in Lake Charles and when I had the honor to work with him I am not going to lie, I was over the moon. Fan Girling a little too.

Not just anyone can say that they were able to work with their radio idol but more importantly when I could call him my friend, I was ecstatic. When I heard the news about Dale's passing a ton of emotions, memories, discussions, and laughs just came flooding back to me.

I remember back in 2004 when Howard Stern and shock jock radio were becoming a thing, Lagniappe Magazine asked me and Dale to pose for the cover. I remember Dale saying hey Mikey, (He always called me that) and he said you are going to be the one to dress up like Howard Stern. We laughed about that and the photo shoot was so fun.

I started to remember those five-hour marathon remote broadcasts that we did together at Big Tex Trailer sales, recording the Cowboys and Yesterday Night Club spots together, and remembering that Dale always had a story for every situation we were in which made me laugh.

The most important thing I want you to remember about Dale Mann is that he loved you! He loved his listening audience, meeting the listeners, helping out his community, and loving and spending time with his family. You don't get to do what Dale did for over 50 years without recognizing the people and treating them with love and kindness. That is how you have a 50-year career and he wanted every person to know how much he appreciated them

Today, Dale will be laid to rest and the radio airwaves in Southwest Louisiana will never sound the same again. Thank you Dale for being a wonderful dad, grandfather, husband, great mentor, idol, and friend to all of us in Southwest Louisiana. Thank you for sharing your wit and talent with us for so many years.

Rest easy my friend in the radio studio in heaven and we will meet again to do another radio show together one day. I love you, BUD!